Tilting the World(On its axis)
by Dico Haud Recubo
Summary: Harry didn't have many expectations walking into the wizarding world, but it still somehow managed to fall short.Faced with being told what he should do,and who he should be,Harry has only one thing to say:I don't care.Having learned from an early age that the only person that he can truly trust is himself,Harry knows he can't worry about what people have to say about him. Gen fic
1. A decision is made

Harry woke up to a day that, on the surface, appeared to be just like all the days before it, and, more than likely, all the days after, except for one thing. And that one thing is what made all the difference, because on this day, Harry had decided to do something that he had never done before. And that was to make a decision, one that had to do, solely_,_ with himself.

Though to make things entirely accurate, it wasn't during the day that this decision was made, but the night. So, to start again. It was on a _night_ like any other that ended with Harry being locked up inside of his cupboard, which was every night if Harry was being honest with himself, that Harry decided to make a decision that would change the course of his life.

Harry knew that the act of simply making a decision at all made this day different from all the others, because Harry was taught that only normal people were allowed to think decision making thoughts, and that freaks like him were only supposed to do what they were told, and nothing more. Harry, however, didn't agree with this method of thinking. (Though he was smart enough to keep that thought to himself.)

And that isn't to say that Harry didn't think at all, because he certainly did, but thinking and doing are two different things, and so far, Harry had only done things for his family, his thoughts and opinions not needed, nor appreciated.

Also, the thinking that he _did_ do normally wasn't very productive, usually being in the vein of, _I live with a family of exceptionally lazy people, I wonder what they would do if I was no longer here?, _and _He doesn't have to throw me into the cupboard, can't he see that I am perfectly capable of walking into it myself? Him on the other hand..._ So while Harry _could_ think for himself, he almost never made decisions based on those thoughts. And even rarer still, more in the realm of never, was the occurrence of him doing anything that wasn't for his family.

Obviously, this was a situation that needed to be rectified immediately.

So it came to be that, at the very respectable age of eight, Harry sat in the dark of his cupboard and thought hard about a very serious issue. He wasn't happy, and the only one who seemed to care about this fact was Harry himself.

_On second thought, that wasn't entirely true_, Harry thought to himself, _after all, the Dursleys do make a concentrated effort to make sure that I'm not happy_.

Harry was a big believer of giving credit where credit was due, so he felt it wasn't right to not acknowledge the fact that the Dursleys were fully aware of what they were doing.

But back to the point. Harry wasn't happy, and the only way he saw of fixing this was to, of course, run away.

He was surprised that he had never thought of this before, but he decided to blame that on the fact that he was eight, and that it takes a certain…maturity to come to thoughts of this nature. A maturity that he, unfortunately, didn't possess when he was five.

So it was with his eight year-old mature mind, that Harry decided that the answer to his unhappiness was to run away from the place that made him unhappy.

With this simple plan in mind, Harry pulled an old grey backpack that, once upon a time, was a Christmas gift to his cousin Dudley before it was thrown aside in favor of a new toy, from underneath his worn out cot, and set it before him. From underneath a loose floorboard, Harry pulled out a bottle of water, and a few packets of crackers that he had been saving for the times that he was locked in his cupboard for days without food. He added the water and the crackers to the backpack, along with his only other change of clothes, his notebook and a pencil, and his favorite story book that he got in a used book giveaway at the library, _The Little Prince._

With everything that he needed safely packed away, Harry slipped on his shoes, and shouldered on his backpack. The only thing standing in his way now, was the locked cupboard door, but that was a problem that was easily solved.

Harry placed his hand on the lock and asked it to open. With a small _click, _the door was opened and Harry stepped out into the silent, dark living room.

Despite the late hour, Harry felt safe, as he always did in the dark. The Dursleys were sleeping in their beds, and he was secure in the knowledge that the only witnesses to the outcome of his thoughts and the decision made based on them, were the spiders who kept Harry's counsel, and the walls, who Harry doubted very much would have anything to say, given the fact that they were walls, and couldn't speak.

Harry headed towards the front door and carefully eased it open, closing it softly behind him once he was outside. He waved goodbye to the lawn he had tended for the majority of his short life, and gave a small bow to the flower he had grown in his aunt's prized garden. And it was the oddest thing, but with how the moon was shining, it almost looked to Harry, as if, for only a moment, the flowers bowed back.

Harry decided that the excitement of what he was doing was getting to him, and continued on his way.

Walking down the street, with only the moon and the stars for company, Harry didn't feel lonely. No, instead the only thing he felt was relieved, because he was finally taking the first step towards a life of happiness. No more cupboard, no more punishments, and most importantly, no more Dursleys.

As Harry passed the park that he would hide away from Dudley in, and neared the end of the block, he felt a huge weight lift off his thin shoulders. He felt a smile break out across his face, one of the few that he has ever given, and he didn't look back.

Harry walked forward, head filled with all the possibilities of what tomorrow would bring, and didn't regret a thing. This is probably why, upon opening his eyes between one blink and the next, and discovering that he was back in his cupboard, Harry fell off his cot. The small noise of his body hitting the floor caused a series of shouts to ring out from his aunt and uncle, and all Harry could do was lay on the floor, confused, and think…what was going on?


	2. but complications arise

_Something_, Harry decided as he picked himself off the ground and dusted himself off, _is very, very, wrong._

Harry didn't have the slightest clue as to how he could have ended up back in his cupboard. He knew that he really _did_ leave what he assumes to be yesterday, because his backpack was on the cot.

And Harry knew that that wouldn't be possible if he didn't leave, or try to, in any case, because he always made sure to hide it underneath his cot, on the off chance that Vernon or Petunia went looking inside the cupboard and saw it. Not to mention that his story book was gone from its hiding place, as Harry soon found out when he swiped his hand back and forth underneath his pillow and discovered it missing.

Harry decided to ignore his aunt yelling for him to start making his family's breakfast for a moment, and pulled the backpack towards him. He took a seat on his cot, and put the bag on his lap and opened it to find his clothes, notebook, storybook, and emergency water and crackers.

_So, _Harry thought, _I wouldn't have put all this together if I didn't leave, but if I left, which I'm sure I did, why am I back?_

Unfortunately, Harry didn't have any more time to think about the strangeness of the whole situation, because with the sound of several stampeding elephants, or just one uncle Vernon, and the sight of dust being shaken loose from the ceiling above him, Harry knew that his time was up.

His uncle bellowing for Harry (though hisuncle preferred to call him boy) to get his ungrateful, lazy self up, (and didn't that seem a bit hypocritical? Harry knew that of all the people in the house, he was the only one who couldn't claim that label), and start getting breakfast ready marked, for the moment, the end of his time to himself.

Harry got up with a sigh, and stood in front of the locked cupboard door, and decided to, rather helpfully, remind his uncle about one small, but important fact.

"I would love to start preparing breakfast for you, Uncle Vernon, but you shouldtry and remember that you have to let me _out _of the cupboard, before I can do that." The silence that followed his words was awkward, and after a few seconds had passed, he heard thundering footsteps heading towards him.

It was only as they got nearer that Harry remembered to stuff the backpack back underneath his cot. He did so, and went back to his previous position, just as the lock of his door was turned.

With a great push, the door was forced open, and the doorway was soon filled with a very unpleasant sight, Vernon'spurpling face, and the top half of his great heaving body.

"Listen here, Boy, I will not tolerate such back talk in my home. When I tell you to do something, you do it," Vernon huffed out, spit flying from his mouth to land on Harry's face.

Harry stared at his uncle for a second, and resisted the urge to wipe off the spit. He nodded his head once, and waited until his uncle moved away before he rolled his eyes, and wiped his face off with his shirt sleeve._ Honestly, _Harry thought, _if you're going to get angry at me for not doing things quick enough, why don't you leave the cupboard door unlocked? Or, if you're not going to do that, at least remember that you have to let me out before I can do anything._

These thoughts, however, remained unvoiced, because even though Harry knew that everything he was thinking was common sense, he didn't hold out any hope that the Dursleys would reach the same conclusions as him. Harry had come to the realization fairly early on that his family, as a whole, seemed to be lacking in the ability to think with any measure of common sense.

Harry made his way over to the kitchen, and from there to the fridge. He took out the whole carton of eggs, because he would need at least that many to feed his uncle and his cousin, a packet of bacon, and a side of ham. Once he had everything on the counter top, he used the step-ladder to get the pans, and fired up the stove. When all was said and done, Harry had made a breakfast fit for at least four people, with six omelets, fourteen pieces of bacon, and what seemed like a pound of cooked ham. But of course, this meal made for four would feed only two, the "men" of the house, with Harry receiving a piece of toast, and aunt Petunia having a salad, in order to "maintain her girlish figure", whatever that meant.

Not that he was complaining though, because even if he _could,_ he wouldn't eat any of the meat, preparing it and seeing it uncooked for most of his life having turned him off from meat of any kind. If it was up to him, he wouldn't have anything to do with meat at all, touching it or eating it, but since it wasn't, up to him that is, he simply had to deal with cooking it, regardless of whether or not he wanted to.

So it was with breakfast served, and Harry receiving what would most likely be his only meal of the day, that he set out to do his next chore, tending to the garden, the one thing that he could say that he didn't mind doing. Well that, and cleaning.

As soon as Harry got outside, he commenced with his morning ritual. "Good morning," he said to the flowers, and he amused himself by imagining that they said good morning back.

He settled himself down in the only spot of shade, and proceeded to pull up as many weeds as he could spot. For Harry, pulling up weeds was a rather mindless activity, so while his hands worked, his mind was free to wander. And wander it did, right back to the one issue that was bothering him from the time that he woke up. Why was he still at the Dursleys, placed right back on his cot as if nothing had happened last night, when he clearly remembers packing up his backpack, and leaving. Maybe…maybe he only thought that he left?

Harry wasn't prone to letting his imagination run away from him, or at least he tried not to let it, but maybe the excitement over getting ready to leave made him imagine that he left. "That must be it," Harry said to the flowers, and with their open petals facing the sun, it was as if the flowers were his captive audience, hanging onto his every word, "I must have fallen asleep while I was getting ready to leave, and I didn't even realize." With that figured out, Harry felt much more comfortable with everything, and he happily tuned back in to weeding the garden.

Harry liked to learn from his mistakes, so now that he knew that being overexcited would lead to him falling asleep and not being able to execute his plan, he decided to make his true attempt to leave that night, but this time, with a calmer state of mind. "I will be cool, calm, and collected," Harry whispered to the flowers, and they bobbed their heads as if in agreement, "and I will write down the exact time and date in my notebook." Harry also liked to be thorough, so keeping a record of what was happening when, seemed like the right thing to do. With that thought, Harry yanked up the last weed, and stood up, dusting off his hands as he did.

_Now all I have to do is get through the rest of my chores, and wait until nightfall,_ Harry thought to himself as he headed back towards the front door,_ just a little more dusting, cooking, and cleaning, and then I'm free._

* * *

It was later that day, when the living room light finally went off and Harry knew that it was nighttime, that he decided to make his move. He waited until he could hear snores filling the house, before he started getting ready to leave. He pulled his backpack out from underneath the cot, and from it he took out his notebook and pencil. With those in hand, Harry slipped on his shoes, and slid the straps of the backpack onto his shoulders. He slid the pencil into the middle of the notebook to free up a hand to open the door with.

With a slight brush of his fingers over the lock, and a whispered "please open", Harry was out on the other side in the darkened living room.

Harry looked up to the clock over the mantle place, and saw that the time was 11:30 pm. He opened his notebook and removed the pencil, and on the page that read _Leaving Day, _he wrote:

_Date: July 1__st_

_Time: 11:30pm_

When he was finished, Harry put the pencil and the notebook back in his backpack, and headed towards the front door, all the while feeling cool, calm, and collected. Well, _mostly,_ cool, calm, and collected. He was still a little excited, but he was trying to make sure that he didn't get _too _excited.

Harry exited the front door, and didn't look back. He was leaving nothing behind. Well, nothing except for seven years of bad memories, and a "family" who would be happier to see him gone.

With every step he took away from the house, he felt lighter, happier,_ freer. _Sure, he might have messed up with his first attempt to leave yesterday, but Harry believed that every new day carried with it the opportunity to do things that you might have missed the chance to do the day before. That meant that today was a new chance to do everything over, but right this time.

Before he knew it, Harry was passing the park, and fast approaching him was the end of the street. When he looked behind him, he could just make out the garden surrounding the front of the house, but with every step he took, it grew farther and farther away.

Harry turned back around and happily went to take the last step that would take him beyond the border of his block, only to blink and open his eyes to the ceiling of his cupboard. _Again_.

Harry blinked up at the ceiling in confusion for a long minute, brows furrowed and breathing slow._ Wha…what? How am i… this is impossible, _Harry thought. He clearly, _clearly_, remembered walking out the front door, so why…why was he back in his cupboard?

Harry sat up slowly and noticed his backpack laying on the bed next to him, sunlight coming out from where it was able to get through the space between the door and floor showing that it was daytime.

_So it was daytime, but I don't even remember going to sleep…, _Harry realized with a start that he didn't remember going to sleep, because he _didn't. _He did walk out that front door last night, and he could prove it, because he…he had…. the notebook! That's right, he wrote down when he left in the notebook, so if what he wrote was there, then that would prove that he _did_ leave, but somehow came back…

Harry decided that he could think about how he got back later, but for now he needed to see his notebook. Harry grabbed the bag and pulled it onto his lap. He opened the bag and took out the notebook, and there in black and white, with the pencil marking his place were the words _Leaving Day, _and beneath that the date July 1st, and the time 11:30pm.

Proof, what he held in his hand was _proof_ that he wasn't crazy, and that he did leave yesterday, because the 1st was Saturday, and the Dursleys always went to church on Sunday, which is the only reason why he didn't hear the usual shouts telling him to get breakfast ready.

Harry _did_ leave yesterday night, and he probably really did leave the night before, too, when he found himself back in the cupboard.

Someone or _something_ was messing with him, and Harry vowed to himself that he was going to get to the bottom of whatever was going on, because it wasn't the Dursleys who were bringing him back, _that_, he knew for sure, so the only question now was, who, or what, is?


	3. Cleaning Day

With his resolve set to find out what or who it was that kept returning him to the Dursleys, Harry decided to get started on his chores for the day.

_It would be nice if Vernon remembered to leave the door unlocked,_ Harry thought, but he realized, of _course_, that that was too much to ask for when he discovered that, against _all_ odds, the cupboard door was locked.

_I suppose expecting some small bit of forethought on Vernon's part was silly, and I just know that, despite the door being locked, I'm obviously still expected to clean the whole house._ Harry found himself, quite often actually, questioning how Vernon managed to survive into adulthood, with his obvious inability to think in any manner resembling common sense. Maybe it was a talent?

Harry thought that this must be why people like him existed. That there were people in this world, that were filled with _all_ the common sense that others lacked, and that they, like Harry, were forced to do all the thinking, and look after those who were free to think and do all the ridiculous things that they wanted, with no care for the consequences, what happens after, or regard for anyone else.

_Oh, how unlucky I am, to be able to think!_ Harry lamented to himself, "Though I am thankful for the ability, couldn't I have been placed with better people to take care of?" He asked out loud, but his question went unanswered, (Harry would be surprised if it didn't), and he sighed, before turning to focus on the task at hand, opening the door.

Harry reached forward, and like he had done numerous times before, placed his hand on the lock, and asked it to open. With a small _click_ it did, and Harry was free.

Harry made his way into the sun-streaked living room, and looked to the clock over the mantle place. It read 8:30 am, and the Dursleys were usually back by 5 or 6 pm on Sundays, depending on where they went for breakfast and lunch, and how big of a tantrum Dudley threw at either location.

_That means that I have plenty of time to get everything cleaned up. Today I'll start in the kitchen, and make my way from there._ Harry decided as he made his way to the kitchen.

Once he was there, he went to the little closet in the corner of the kitchen, and pulled out the broom, cleaning solution, duster, mop, bucket, and cleaning rags. He set the broom and the mop in the bucket leaning against the kitchen table, and put the rest of the cleaning supplies on top of it.

Harry left them alone for the moment, and moved to the sink full of dishes. "Ok everyone, once again it is Sunday, all of you know what that means, right?" without waiting for a reply that would never come, Harry continued, "That's right, that means that it's cleaning day! Not that everyday isn't cleaning day, but every day I don't have all of you here to help me, do I?" Harry finished with a little grin, as he reached down to remove the dish washing liquid and the sponge from the cabinet underneath the sink.

"Now then, Mr. Soap, Mr. Sponge, would you be so kind as to assist me with the dishes?" As if signaling their happy approval, both items flew out of Harrys hands, and began cleaning the dishes, the water turning on automatically.

"And don't think that I forgot you, Ms. Mop, and your partner, Mr. Bucket," Harry added as he turned back around to face the table with the rest of the cleaning supplies, "Would you mind terribly," Harry continued as he moved to pick up the bucket and held it up to the sink, and as if on cue, soap and water started to enter it until it was filled to about half way, "working your magic on the kitchen floor?" The bucket jumped out of his hands when he finished talking, and was soon followed by the mop picking itself up, dunking itself in the bucket, and moving to clean the floor.

Harry grabbed up the rest of the cleaning supplies, and moved back to the living room, leaving the sounds of running water and the clattering of dishes behind him.

"Curtains? It's alright, you can relax and close now." Harry heard a slight rustling as the strings holding the curtains untied themselves, and the curtains fell to cover the windows, throwing the living room into a sudden shade.

"Now, Ms. Duster, I would appreciate it if you made this place spotless, from top to bottom, as you always do." The duster flew out of his hands, and began dusting the mantle place.

"As for you, Mr. Clean, and Mr. Rag, since it's still light out, you can start on the windows upstairs until it gets a bit darker." The cleaning rag slipped out of Harry's hand, and unfolded itself in front of him. It floated flat in the air for a second, before the bottle of cleaning solution jumped on its back and the rag floated the both of them up the stairs.

"So now it's just you and me, Mr. Broom, how about we get started...oh, how could I forget? I'm sorry Mr. Broom, but I left Ms. Dustpan in the closet. I'll go get her right now." Harry left the broom leaning on the wall next to his cupboard, and went back to the kitchen, stepping around the mop as he did.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Mop, I didn't mean to interrupt you, but I just need to get something that I forgot." Harry shot off as he tried to move as quickly as he could. Ms. Mop had a bit of a temper when she was interrupted in the middle of cleaning, and the last time Harry did, he ended up soaked because she asked Mr. Bucket to pour water on him.

Harry grabbed the dust pan, and made his way out of the kitchen, the sponge waving goodbye to him as he went.

"I'm back Mr. Broom, and now the two of you are reunited at last." Harry picked the broom back up and carried it to the center of the living room.

"The two of you can start in here first, and then make your way upstairs when you're done." Harry said to the two, releasing them so that they could start working.

The broom started sweeping right away, the dust pan following right behind it, and Harry decided to leave them to it.

Harry moved to one of the two little bookshelves that the Dursleys had in the room, though Harry never understood why they had them, because in all the time that he had been living here, Harry was the only one who even came near the bookshelves, and was most definitely the only one to touch the books, and pulled down the book that he had started reading last Sunday.

It was as Harry was sitting down to read the book, surrounded by objects moving by themselves, by the _house_ cleaning itself, all on his command, that Harry was struck again by the fact that he could do things that not everyone else could do.

Not that there was anything wrong with that , or about being strange, being different, in fact, Harry would never change this aspect of himself, especially if the alternative was being "normal", like the Dursleys always insisted that they were.

No, the only reason why Harry decided to take note of the things that he was doing, the same things that he had _been_ doing, every Sunday since he was tasked with cleaning the whole house on this day, was because it seemed like it might be connected to why his every attempt to leave the Dursleys so far, had been unsuccessful.

Harry thought, no, _knew_, that it had to be connected to the things that he could do, because children who run away aren't returned to their rooms as if nothing ever happened, at least, Harry didn't think so.

Harry didn't know many other children who had tried to run away, or any children at all for that matter, Dudley made _sure_ of that, but he was sure that the same thing that was happening to him, wasn't happening to them.

_And it doesn't seem like the work of only one person, maybe a group of people? Yes, that seems more likely. So a group of people, with the same ability as me, because how else would they be able to return me without anyone the wiser, have decided to, for whatever reason, dedicate themselves to making sure I remain with the Dursleys, despite knowing my living conditions, and how I am treated, because they obviously know to return me to the cupboard under the stairs, and not Dudley's second bedroom. But what can I do about this? They're obviously older and more experienced than me, and I don't even know who they could be, or what they look like. _Harry sat for a long time on the sofa, the book remaining unread in his lap, thinking about his current situation.

He had come to the conclusion that there was, obviously, a secret organization made up of people who were able to the things that he could do, but on a greater scale, and that they didn't have his best interest at heart if they thought that the best place for him was with the Dursleys.

And he knew that these people, whoever they were, were more than likely indistinguishable from the people around him, so he would never be able to tell who they were just by looking at them, because he knew that anyone looking at him would never be able to tell that he could do things that everyone else couldn't do.

Harry realized that he had a very big problem on his hands, and he saw only one way to really deal with it.

So on a sunny Sunday afternoon, standing alone in the Dursley's living room, and surrounded by the evidence of what made him a "freak" in their eyes, but special in his, Harry vowed from that day forward to be overly cautious with anyone that he meets, regardless of how old they are and how they act, because he had no way of knowing who might be part of the organization, and who wasn't. And in addition to that, just to make sure that he had all his bases covered, any information he gains will be second guessed, with the facts confirmed for himself before they can be trusted.

He had no problem with giving a person a first chance with him, but if they managed to mess that first chance up, then there would be no second one. That meant that the people who were messing with him and keeping him at the Dursleys had already wasted their first chance with him, and any chance that he would care about them, or their reasoning for what they were doing, just like the Dursleys. They had completely screwed up any chance at family he may have had with them, so in his mind, they were just people that he was being forced to live with. Harry didn't have a family, he only had himself.

Harry knew that if he trusted only himself, he would be safe, because regardless of what may happen, or what he may go through, Harry made it a rule to never lie to himself, even when doing so would make him feel better.

If there were people interested in him for whatever reason, he wouldn't make it easy for them to get to him, or trick him.

With his decision made, Harry felt better about moving forward, and like a weight was lifted from off his mind.

Harry stood up and put the book away, it was getting late, and he had to make sure that everything was put away before the Dursleys came back. A glance at the clock showed that it was a few minutes after three, and even though they shouldn't be back until about 5, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

Harry walked into the kitchen, and saw that while he was thinking, the dishes were finished being cleaned and were all placed neatly in their drying racks, along with the floor being mopped clean.

Harry raised his voice as much as he was able, and called out to all the cleaning supplies that were diligently working around the house.

"Hello! Everyone, can I have your attention please?" Harry waited until he heard the sound of the floor being swept stop, before continuing, "I would like to thank all of you for a job well done, and ask that you all please make your way to the kitchen, and back into the closet."

Since they were already in the kitchen, the mop and bucket were the first to make their way into the closet, closely followed by the duster, broom, and dust pan, and ending with the cleaning rag flying in with the bottle of cleaning solution back on its back.

Once they were all inside, the closet door closed itself, and Harry decided to put the dish washing liquid and sponge away himself.

"As always, this was a very productive day for everyone, and once again, I would like to thank all of you for your help. I look forward to us working together again next Sunday, if I'm still here." With that final remark, Harry made his way out of the kitchen, and back into his cupboard.

And it turns out that he did so just in time, because a few minutes after he sat down on his cot, Harry heard the sound of Vernon's car pull up, and the sound of the door opening soon after.

Harry settled down to the sound of the Dursleys making their way back into the house, with far more noise than Harry honestly thought the action warranted, and pulled out his notebook and pencil from the backpack laying on the floor next to him.

He opened the notebook up to a fresh page, and wrote at the top, _"Reminders"_ and below that, marked by a quickly drawn number 1, "_Watch out for suspicious individuals",_ followed immediately by number 2, _"Be cautious._ _Don't trust others right away, no matter who they are."_

With that done, Harry closed his notebook, and instead of putting it back in his backpack, put it underneath his pillow. Harry knew that he would need to keep it in easy reach, because he would be adding to that list whenever he thought of something new that belonged on it.

Harry never did anything half-heartedly, and this was no different. He was going to need to be extra careful now that he knew he had to watch out for himself even more than before. And once he made a decision, he always dedicated himself fully to it. He had a responsibility to himself to do so, and he took responsibilities very seriously.

_After all,_ Harry thought to himself,_ if I don't look out for me, no one will. I only have one life, and I'm going to protect it, and that includes securing myself against secret organizations that wish to see me hurt._ I_, am my top priority, so that means that I have to look after myself._

_Even if._ Harry added when the stairs started to shake, dust raining down on him, signaling that either Vernon or Dudley were going upstairs,_ I have to work around the Dursleys to do so._


	4. A trip to the library

When Harry woke up the next day, he didn't make any attempt to leave his cot. He just laid back and thought, because while he knew that he had made the right decision yesterday about being cautious and not automatically trusting, he wasn't exactly sure how doing this would be any different from how he usually acts.

_It's easy to not trust someone, but there has to be more to it than that. For instance, if I don't know who is in the organization, then I can't trust anyone or anything really that I'm told. But if I can't trust what I'm told, then how am I supposed to learn anything? I wouldn't be very happy if I had to go through life always second-guessing whether or not what's being told to me is the truth. And what about school? I mean, a teacher is just as likely to be part of the secret organization as anyone else._

_How troublesome, _Harry thought, _this is getting more and more complex as I think about it._

The thing is, before making his vow yesterday, Harry had never really thought about how much he relied on other people in order to learn things—had never really thought about how he automatically assumed that everything being told to him was the truth, because what reason was there to lie? (Aside from the Dursleys, of course. Harry didn't make a habit of ever believing anything that they told him.)

But now he had to question everything, because if there were people who would go so far as to bring him back to the Dursleys every time he ran away, what's stopping them from lying to him as well, tricking him if doing so will be beneficial for them, and whatever plans they might have for Harry? Absolutely nothing, because Harry wouldn't know not to believe them.

Harry was smart enough to realize that, as he was now, the secret organization had the upper hand on him, not only because he doesn't know who they are, but because of the simple fact that they knew more, and he knew less. This lack of knowledge meant that he couldn't question them, and probably wouldn't even know if they were lying to him. Harry needed to be able to determine if what he was being told was the truth, and he could think of only one way to do that.

_I, _Harry realized in a moment of clarity,_ can only be better off if I know more, about everything! Every time I have to turn to someone else to gain the information that I need, I run the risk of being lied to, so the only solution to this is for me to learn everything first, myself._

_If I no longer need anyone to tell me anything, then that is one less way that I can be lied too, and one more way that I can avoid being tricked. And besides, I love reading and learning new things anyway, so really, it's a win-win situation all around._

The best place Harry knew to conduct his hunt for all information, no matter how irrelevant it may seem at first, was the library. But if he was going to the library, Harry knew that he would need permission to go first, not because anything was stopping him from leaving, at least not as far as the library went, but because the Dursleys were weird. They hated him and never wanted to be around him or see him, but they also never wanted him to leave the house.

_And lucky for me, _Harry thought as the sounds from what could only be the television started to reach him from his place in his cupboard, _I know_ _just who to ask to get permission to do so._

_Not that I should need permission to leave the house, with how the Dursleys are always going on about how they want me gone, and how much of a burden I am on them. They should be happy to see me gone, but no, I'm not noticed when I'm doing chores around the house, but as soon as I want to go somewhere, they need me to stay in the house to do something else. They don't want me here, but they also don't want me gone, the Dursleys are so strange sometimes._

Despite knowing all this, Harry knew that if he asked Petunia to leave while she was distracted with something else, she would just wave him off, and for Harry, that was as good as an ok.

_I could probably go up to her and tell her that the sky is brown, or that I just sold her soul to the devil and she would still agree. Though I never understood why the devil would want souls, what does it even do with them, look at them? And what does a soul even look like, and for that matter, why does everyone seem to think that having one is so important? _

_I mean, on more than one occasion Vernon has called me a "soulless devil" whenever I would stare at him for too long, but I never felt like I was missing something. Maybe a soul is just something that people thought up one day to make them feel better about themselves, and to be able to blame the horrible acts that some people commit on the lack of a soul. Hm, a thought for another day. Right now I need to focus on getting to the library._

Mondays were lay in, late days for the male Dursleys, and Petunia was usually drinking tea and watching her morning soap operas at around 10, and judging by the sunlight streaming in through the cracks of the cupboard door, Harry assumed it was around that time.

Harry asked the lock to open, and stepped out. Petunia didn't look up when he did, but Harry didn't think that she would. Petunia, as Harry found out over time, tended to be just as aware as Vernon when it came to making sure his door was locked or unlocked, so she tended not to question him whenever he would walk out to do something.

Harry walked until he was standing to the right and just a little behind Petunia, who was sitting on the sofa closest to the TV.

"Aunt Petunia, may I go to the library?" Harry asked, and she nodded absentmindedly, waving him away like Harry knew she would.

"Thank you aunt Petunia, I'll be sure to be back in time to prepare dinner." She didn't give any type of response this time, but Harry wasn't expecting her to.

He went back to his cupboard to make sure the door was closed, and then headed to the front door.

He made his way out, and made sure not to lock the door behind him, so that when he returned it would be less noticeable.

Harry walked until he was on the sidewalk in front of the Dursleys house, before pausing to think about which way he needed to go to get to the library.

He didn't remember where it was by heart, because he had only visited it once when he was 6, and only for a few minutes.

The visit, of course, wasn't for Harry. Petunia, in an effort to introduce the joys of reading to Dudley, decided to bring him to the library. Harry, who would have enjoyed the visit much more than Petunia seemed to think Dudley would, was only brought along in order to prevent him from setting the house on fire, or whatever reason she thought up for why Harry couldn't be left alone in the house.

Anyway, long story short, when Dudley realized that the library was a place full of books, and not a restaurant or toy store, he threw a tantrum to rival all tantrums that he had previously threw that week, and they never went back since.

_While I don't remember much about that day, besides the fact that I was annoyed that we couldn't stay for longer, or that I couldn't just sneak away, I do somewhat recall that the library was in the opposite direction of the park, and that it didn't take us long to get there._

On that thought, Harry began walking in the direction opposite of the park.

_I wonder if this will count as an escape attempt. Does intention matter? Because I'm definitely not trying to run away again, at least not now, but maybe distance traveled is what counts. When I tried to leave before, I always traveled a good distance past the park, so it might only count when I go past a certain point. I'll have to experiment with how far I can go later, and if the reason why I'm leaving makes a difference._

_Though I might get a chance to start those experiments now, depending on how far away the library is. Hopefully, the answer is not far at all._

If the library was outside the safety area, which was the distance Harry could travel without being sent back to the Dursleys, and within the boundary of where Harry assumed the secret organizations influence lay, he was out of luck.

Harry rounded the corner of the street he was on, and saw to his relief the top of a building, the words _Public Library_ in big, white letters printed on the front.

_Well, that's one less thing to worry about. Now I know that the library is closer than I thought, and how to get to it. _

Harry continued walking until he reached the front steps of the library, and was surprised to see that it was much bigger than it seemed at first glance.

He walked up the steps and pushed open the front doors, and felt a rush of cool air hit him when he did. He looked around once he was inside, and saw that besides him and the woman working behind a big circular desk to the left of the entrance, there were only two other people in the library that he could see so far, but they were immersed in what they were doing, and didn't pay any attention to Harry.

_Or did they? I have to remember to be wary of everyone, and that includes people who look like they aren't paying attention to me. After all, it is rather easy to hide in plain sight when you don't know what you're looking for. I've always been observant, but now I need to be especially aware of what's going on around me, now that the existence of my silent watchers have been brought to light._

Walking further into the library, Harry made sure to covertly look out the side of his eye when he passed by the man and the woman reading books at one of the wooden tables stationed at the front of the library.

He made sure to keep this up until he walked into the relative safety of the first row of bookcases. He stopped walking once he was halfway down the row, and allowed himself to relax slightly.

_I have to remember to always be on the lookout, there's no telling wha... _Harry trailed off once he finally gave himself a chance to look around, and realized that he was surrounded by more books than he had seen in his entire life, and he was still only in the first row of bookcases!

_Well, I suppose that you can never know too much, and always know too little._ Harry knew that he had been in the library before, but never with a goal like what he had now, and never for long.

Looking at all the shelves full of books, Harry realized that he had a rather long road ahead of him.

_There's no point in just looking, _Harry decided, after_ all, isn't it said that there is no time like the present? I have to start somewhere, so how about . . . story books, more specifically, Fairytales._

Harry thought that fairytales were the right thing to start with, because one, he genuinely loved fairytales, and wouldn't mind reading a large amount of them, and two, because Harry knew that it was easiest to see the truth of a world and its people in the stories that are written about it, real or otherwise. And fairytales, which are usually meant to teach life lessons, should be able to teach Harry a thing or two as well.

_I'll start with all the books about fairytales, because you never know what information will be useful when you least expect it._

With his mind made up about which section of books he was going to start reading first, Harry made his way further into the library.

The bookcases seemed to tower over Harry as he walked between them, though considering how short he was, most things did, so that wasn't really noteworthy. What was noteworthy, however, was how many books there seemed to be on any single subject.

Harry was walking through the non-fiction section in order to get to where the fiction books were, and as he passed by the bookcase labeled _Mythology,_ Harry ran his hand along the spines of the books on the shelf closest to him.

_Hm, mythology sounds interesting. Once I'm done with all the fairytales, I'll probably head back over here, unless something else catches my interest first._

Before long, Harry reached the rows of bookcases under the main label of _Fiction_, and began his search for the book case that contained all the fairytales.

As he looked, Harry was happy to note that he was still alone, and that the only other people in the library were most likely the three that he had seen earlier.

Harry decided that along with everything else, he would make an effort to remember to keep count of all the people that were in a room with him, and who came and left. That way, he wouldn't be caught unawares by anyone.

_I have to make sure to add everything else that I think of to the list when I get back to the house._

As he was thinking, Harry realized looking around at where he was, he had inadvertently made his way to the very thing that he had been looking for.

Written in bold black letters on a white sign located on the side of the bookcase he had stopped in front of, were the words _Story Books._

_Now that I've found them, I just need to read as many as I can before I have to leave. I left the house at around ten, so let's just say that it's been about an hour since then. That means that it's eleven, so I have a good few hours before I have to head back, plenty of time to read at least four or five stories._

Harry went closer to the bookcase, and grabbed the first four books that he saw. If he was going to read all the books here anyway, Harry decided, it didn't matter in what order he read them.

With his books in hand, Harry headed over to a gap between two bookcases that looked like it was the perfect size to hold him, and when he sat down in it, he realized that he was right. The space was just big enough that Harry could scoot back and press his back against the wall, while still having enough space to keep him and his books completely hidden, and light to read the books by.

_Its better that I stay as hidden as possible as I do this, so this is the perfect spot. My back is against the wall, so no one can approach me from there, and the space I'm in is small enough to be overlooked._

_I'm out of sight, and out of mind, and that gives me the double advantage of not being disturbed while I read, and the opportunity to watch and overhear any conversations that take place around me, without anyone knowing that I'm listening._

_I suppose the Dursleys were good for teaching me at least one thing. When you're treated like you aren't really there, and just part of the background, you learn to fade out of people's awareness. And when people don't realize that you're there, they talk about things as if you really weren't. So it isn't my fault that I now know that the real reason why Dudley and I switched schools is because they were going to hold Dudley back a grade. Honestly, it isn't. So just like it wasn't my fault then, it won't be my fault now, or in the future, if I happen to hear things that I'm not supposed to, because people chose not to notice that I'm there._

_And it's not like I'm hurting anyone by doing this, and now I also have another thing to add to the list. Be as unobtrusive as possible, and you will learn what people really think, because you are always your most true self when you believe that no one is watching._

Harry moved to sit with his legs crossed in front of him, and picked up the first book in the stack next to him.

Book in hand, Harry flipped to the first page, settled back, and began reading _Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, _the first book of what was to be many, many, more.

* * *

In what seemed like no time at all, Harry was closing the back cover on the third book in the pile, with one more left to go.

_This seems like a good time to stop and go over what I've learned so far. So, to recap, from Snow White I've learned to not trust food given to me, as it will probably be poisoned, mirrors, specifically talking ones, usually make situations worse, and are not to be trusted, evil queens apparently get jealous easily, people can be named after their main characteristics, and that one should always have a prince on standby, as they can cure eternal sleep with a kiss._

_Next is Cinderella. Now, with this story, I learned that evil step mothers also get jealous fairly easily, that kindness is only sometimes rewarded, because bad things like to happen to good people, glass slippers are comfortable to walk in_, _but only fit the person they were made for, balls can be fun when you're dancing with the right person, and that once again, a prince is a good thing to have around, especially if you're looking for true love._

_And finally Rapunzel, where I learned that long hair is very useful, maybe I should grow my own out?, towers are not that good at keeping girls with long hair in, and other people out, and that freedom is something to be cherished, as there is almost nothing worse than being imprisoned somewhere, with only a small window providing you with a view of a world that is denied to you._

Harry, looking back at what he had learned so far, knew that while some of what he learned only mattered in the context of the stories they came from, some things could also be applied to real life.

For instance, from Snow White he learned to not accept things from strangers, another thing to add to his list, from Cinderella he learned that perseverance is important, because you have to be able to push forward and weather the bad things, before you can reach the good. And lastly, from Rapunzel, he learned that it always pays to be resourceful, and that freedom is not something to be taken for granted.

Oh, and how could he forget? He also learned that princes are good to have around, as they are capable of waking people up if they should happen to fall into an eternal sleep.

Harry put Rapunzel down in the stack of read books, and tried to take stock of the time by the sunlight streaming in through the window directly across from where he was seated on the ground.

_I really need to invest in getting a watch, especially if I'm going to be making it a habit to come to the library, which I plan to do. But anyway, judging by the suns position, I think that it's now the early afternoon, about 1 or 2. I still have some time, so I'll just read the last book that I have here before leaving. The earlier I get back the better, as there's more of a chance that my absence will be noticed the longer that I stay out._

Harry went to pick up the last book, noticing as he did that it was much thicker than the other books had been. The title of the book was odd too, with half of it being a word that Harry had never seen before.

The front cover of the book contained the title with the word Harry didn't know, followed by the brothers who must have written it. The title read _Grimm's_ _Märchen _in big fancy black letters, and underneath it was written _Compilation of stories by the Brothers Grimm._

_This is different, _Harry thought, _though that does explain why it's so much bigger than the other books. If it's a compilation of different stories, then it has to be larger than a book with only one story in it. I might have to start reading it now, and finish it later whenever I come back, depending on how long each story is._

Harry placed the book in his lap, and quickly skimmed over the index (there were so many stories, over 200!), and turned to the first story and started reading, or at least he tried to.

It was rather hard, as Harry soon found out, to try and read a story when it was written in another language, one he didn't know, seeing as he was taught, and could only speak and read English.

_Well, isn't this a surprise. What am I supposed to do now? I definitely can't read a book that's written in a language I can't read, and I don't even know what language this is._

_Oh well, _Harry thought as he moved to stand up, _I guess I just have to put it back and leave. How annoying, and it looked interesting too...wait. _Harry stopped, frozen, as the meaning behind what was happening caught up to him.

_I wonder… how long would it have taken me to realize that language was a barrier barring me from learning certain things, if it wasn't for this book? I can't believe this didn't occur to me earlier. I can't put this book back now, if I do, that would mean that I wasn't staying true to the vow I made to myself. How can I learn everything that I possibly can, if I let the language it's in stop me? I can't, and I won't. I won't let myself be stopped so early on because of a problem that can be easily resolved._

_If things are going to continue being written in different languages, then I'm just going to have to learn every language. And this will help me not only with attaining information, but also by making it that much harder for me to be lied to, if I can understand everything being said about me. I can't trust anyone to tell me the truth just because it's the right thing to do, so I need to limit the instances where I don't understand what's going on._

Harry's grip on the book tightened, and his eyes showed his determination. He was going to find out what language the book was in, and he was going to _learn _it. He was going to read this book, no matter what, and every other book that posed a similar problem.

If he had to learn 100 different languages, then he would, because there was no reason not to, no reason to say that he can't, that it's too hard, too much, because as long as he was alive, Harry knew that he could do anything, or try to, at any rate.

Harry refused to let language be an obstacle for him.

_I swear that I won't let myself be stopped by this, I won't. _And then, as if in answer to his thoughts, Harry felt a rush of warmth spread through him, originating from his heart, and getting stronger with every beat.

Harry's eyes began to glow an otherworldly green, and his skin seemed to light up from within, but this stopped before Harry was able to notice that something was wrong.

The warmth and the glow only lasted for a moment, before Harry was back to his regular self, save for a lingering feeling of heat that was fading even as he thought about it, and an enhanced memory that went unnoticed all together.

_This must be what true determination feels like. How...nice._

Harry didn't have long to mull over the feeling, before the sound of approaching footsteps broke him out of his thoughts.

Harry hurriedly gathered up the rest of the books he had on the floor, and stepped back into the shadows provided by the two towering bookcases that offered up an excellent hiding place.

The footsteps came closer, before stopping to the left of Harry. They stayed there for a few minutes, before going back the way that they came.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, and relaxed against the wall he was standing against, his arms heavy with the weight of the books he was holding.

_I think that that's enough for today. I can always come back next Monday, or even later this week if I manage to sneak away. But now that I have something specific that I'm trying to learn, I think things will run a bit smoother. Right now my focus is languages, but that doesn't mean that I can't look at other things while I'm learning them._

_For now though, I really should be heading back._

Harry straightened up from his position on the wall, and left the space between the bookcases. He walked back the way he came, returning the books to their places once he reached their shelf.

With that done, Harry continued on his way to the library entrance, noticing as he reached the area in the front with the tables that the man who was sitting there earlier was gone.

_Maybe he was the one who came by where I was earlier, it seems likely, though why he didn't return before me is anyone's guess._

Harry decided that dwelling on the man's whereabouts really wasn't doing anything for anyone, and continued on his way.

Before he left though, Harry noticed a clock placed over the entrance way, and saw that it was now closer to 3 than he thought.

_Vernon and Dudley usually start to get up around this time, so I better hurry._

Harry quickly exited through the front doors, and made his way down the steps leading up to the library. Once he was back on the sidewalk, Harry simply retraced his steps, and before long, he was walking down the sidewalk leading to the Dursleys house.

_Once I get inside, I'll just head straight to my cupboard, so that I can write down all the things I need to add to the list. After that, I'm going to need to start a new list to keep track of all the languages I'm going to be learning._

Harry walked up to the front door, and carefully lifted the cover over the mail slot in order to hear what was going on in the house. He heard the sound of the television, but not the grumbling that usually accompanied Vernon watching it, nor the whining that signaled Dudley, so that meant that the two of them were still upstairs. In addition to the television, Harry heard the sound of running water, so that meant that Petunia was in the kitchen doing something.

Having decided that this was the perfect opportunity to reenter the house, Harry let go of the mail slot cover, and slowly eased the door open until he had a space just big enough to slide through. Once he was inside, Harry gently let the door fall closed and locked it.

Petunia didn't come out of the kitchen, so Harry knew that she didn't hear him when he came in.

The television was on like Harry thought, and judging by the channel it was on, he knew that she must have just gotten up to go to the kitchen.

_So today it seems like I've been favored by luck, I wonder if that means tomorrow is going to be horrible. I hope not, but considering that it's me hoping, it probably will be._

Harry decided to leave all thoughts about luck, good _or_ bad, for tomorrow, and quietly made his way over to the cupboard, and inside.

Once he was inside, Harry sat down on his cot, and reached his hand underneath his pillow to pull his notebook out.

Notebook in hand, Harry laid back and bent his knees so that he would have a surface to lean on when he started to write.

_Huh,_ Harry thought, pausing in the middle of opening his notebook,_ I know it's rather silly of me to just notice this now, but_ _I just realized that, everything that I've been doing recently has all been for me, and me only. It's a strange feeling doing things solely for myself, strange, but good. I wonder, is this what it feels like to be selfish? If it is, than I don't mind being selfish every now and then, but enough of that, I need to get back to the lists._

Harry opened the notebook to where his pencil was marking his place from last time, and, looking over what he had so far, began to add to the list the things he had thought of in his time at the library.

_1\. Watch out for suspicious individuals_

_2\. Be cautious. Don't trust others right away, no matter who they are_

_3\. Question everything that I am told or learn until I can determine whether or not it is true_

_4\. Keep stock of all the people in the room or area that I'm in, what they're doing, and who they are_

_5\. Don't take food from strangers_

_6\. Don't take things at face value_

_There, that's good for now, so next is the language list, though I really only have about three things to put on it._

Harry turned to a new page in his notebook, and at the top he wrote _Languages,_ and below that, the three languages that he was going to focus on for now.

_1\. The language in the Marchen book, find out what it is_

_2\. Italian_

_3\. French_

Harry smiled when he finished writing, and put the pencil back into the middle of the notebook, before closing it and returning back to its place under his pillow.

_This has been a rather productive day, and I'm happy with myself, so how about a cheers?_

Harry had seen Petunia watching a movie through the crack of his door one night, and in the movie there were all these people wearing fancy clothes, holding glasses in their hands, clinking them together. They looked so happy when they did, shouting out _Cheers!_ , laughing with one another, and Harry had always wanted to try that, at least once.

_Right now, I'm happy, and I don't need someone else to do cheers with, but, maybe…_

Harry sat up, and raised his arm towards the ceiling, and with his hand formed around an imaginary glass, toasted his parents who he hoped were watching him, and were happy for him.

"To me, and happiness, and a brighter tomorrow, cheers!"

Harry drank his imaginary glass, and laughed, falling back down to lie on his cot.

Yes he was still with the Dursleys, and _yes_, he did still have the secret organization watching him, but he was finally doing something that wasn't cooking, or cleaning, or gardening. Something that _wasn't_ for the Dursleys, and he could be happy, even if it was just for a moment, for that at least, couldn't he?

Harry believed that he could, and that is why he continued to laugh, even when Vernon started yelling for "The Freak to stop all his senseless nonsense, couldn't he tell that good respectable people needed their rest, and he was interrupting them?"


	5. Broken Pieces

_Apparently, I was wrong to think that tomorrow would be filled with bad luck yesterday,_ Harry thought to himself, a little smile on his face, _because here I am, tomorrow, in the library, after getting permission to leave again from Petunia._

When Harry woke up this morning, the last thing he really expected was being able to come back to the library so soon, much less today. But he was, back in his space between the bookcases from yesterday, only now, with different books.

Harry knew that he had to stick with his plan from yesterday, so this time when Harry got to the library he went looking around the non-fiction section to find books about languages, and how to learn them.

He needed to find a book about languages so that he could finally learn the language that the book with the collection of fairytales was written in, and to try and get a scope of how many languages actually existed, because Harry knew that there were more than just the few that he knew of.

Harry checked the time on the clock on the wall over the front doors of the library, and realized that he had to hurry up. Today was just a regular Tuesday, and besides the fact that the Dursleys always expected a big dinner on Tuesdays, and that that would take a while to prepare, he didn't get to leave the house today until it was already 4, and dinner needed to be on the table by 8.

_That means that I really only have time to find the books and look at them for a little bit before I have to leave._ Harry sighed as he thought about all time he had already lost today, and he had just gotten to the library!

_I really wanted to start learning a language today too, but I guess that'll just have to wait._

Harry sighed again, his shoulders slumping down, a little of the excitement he was feeling about being able to go to the library two days in a row fading.

It was a much more subdued Harry that eventually found his way over to the section of the library that dealt with languages, though he did perk up a bit when he got there.

Harry ran his fingers and his eyes over the row of books in front of him, stopping on the spine of a book that read _Languages of the World._

_Well then, that looks about right, _Harry thought, pulling the book off the shelf, _now I just need to head over to where I left the Marchen book, find out what language it's written in, and then spend a few minutes looking at the language book before I have to leave._

Harry, with the book in hand, walked the same path from yesterday over to the fiction section of the library, and from there, over to where the storybooks were.

He reached the bookcases with the space in between them, and from the one on the right, took down the book he was looking for. With both books in his hand, Harry made his way into his spot between the bookcases and sat down.

Harry opened the story book up to a random page and put it on the ground in front of him, so that he would be able to look back to it to check and see when he found the matching language, and put the language book in his lap.

He flipped through the book and started looking for the matching language.

_Let's see, Arabic…no, Bulgarian…no, Chinese…definitely not, Estonian…no, Finnish…no, German…n- wait, yes! It looks the same! So that means that Grimm's Marchen is a German story book, and that the next time I come back to the library, I have to pick up a language learning book for German._

Harry was happy and surprised that he had found out what language the book was written in so quickly, but he just decided to attribute it to a continuation of his good luck from yesterday.

With his main goal for today accomplished, Harry settled back and decided to look at the language book for ten more minutes before getting ready to leave.

The ten minutes seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, because before Harry knew it, it was time for him to leave and he had just finished reading about an interesting language called _Latin._

_I know the list I made said that I would move on to Italian after I finished learning the language the book was written in, but I think that I'll do Latin instead, and it's probably better that I do, since I read that Latin apparently is a language that a bunch of other ones have a root in, including Italian._

With his mind made up about what he would be doing next, Harry put the books back and left the library at exactly 5 o'clock, and started the walk back to the house.

_Hmm, I wonder what I should make. I think that we have a side of ham left over from yesterday, so I'll probably use that, and make a roast chicken along with some sides. That should be enough food for even Dudley and Vernon to have leftovers, but I think that's just wishful thinking on my part._

Once Harry reached the house, he headed straight for the kitchen, dodging the leg Dudley stuck out in an attempt to trip him, and the ball he threw aiming for his head right after.

_He should really work on his aim,_ Harry thought as he took out the pots and pans he would need to make the dinner that he would more than likely have no part of, _I mean really, I know I dodged it, but I honestly didn't have too, it didn't even come close to hitting me._

Harry decided to put all thoughts of Dudley and his throwing skills, or lack thereof, out of his mind, and turned his focus back towards getting everything together.

He had a full dinner spread to make, after all, and not a lot of time to do it before Vernon came back from work, impatient to be fed, and hopefully not drunk.

* * *

The sound of the lock opening was loud in the small space, and Harry made sure to push his whole weight against the things he had gathered up and pushed in front of the door.

Though given that all his strength didn't really amount to much given the fact that he basically weighed next to nothing, but in this instance it was the thought that counted, or rather, the heavy objects in front of the door that counted.

And also the fact that the door opened inward, instead of out.

Vernon turned and turned the door knob, trying to push it in, and though he did manage to get it open a few inches, like every other night that he had come home drunk and attempted to get to him, he gave up soon after figuring out that he would have to try harder if he wanted to get to Harry, and that he really wasn't worth all that effort after all.

Just to be safe though, he kept the things in front of the door even after he heard the lumbering footsteps make their way up the stairs. It never hurt to be extra cautious, even if he did need to move everything back in the morning.

For now, he slept safe knowing that Vernon wouldn't be able to get in.

He should have known better than to think that his good luck would continue for much longer, he should have remembered that when good things happen to him, bad things are quick to follow.

Harry's good luck ran out two days later, in the worst possible way.

Later, Harry would look back on this moment and wonder what he could have done differently, but that was later, and this is now, and as Harry saw the plate slip out of his hands as if in slow motion, the only thing going through his mind was, _I hope that no one's around to hear it fall._

And fall it did, with a great crash, shards scattering away in every direction.

Harry knelt down to start gathering the shards up, and he had collected his first handful when he decided that he had enough to call the rest. "I'm sorry Mr. Plate, I wasn't thinking when I was holding you, and now you're all broken up. Wouldn't you prefer to be back all in one piece? Because unlike Humpty Dumpty, while you may have had a great fall, you need only yourself to get put back together again."

In response to his words, the shards that had scattered all over the kitchen shot back over to Harry, hovering underneath the hand that held the rest of the shards. When Harry opened his hand, the shards inside of it jumped down to join the rest. Once they were all together, they fit themselves back into place, and then floating where the broken shards once were, was a perfect unbroken plate.

"Thank you Mr. Plate, I'm sure you feel all better now, and just look at you! All shiny and perfect again, you're just-"Harry paused in the middle of his sentence when he experienced the strangest feeling, it was like he was being watched, which was odd, because none of the Dursleys were ever awake this late at night.

Harry looked up to the doorway of the kitchen and was surprised to see Vernon just standing there, breathing heavily, and watching him.

"I'm sorry uncle Vernon, I was ju-

Harry was cut off, not by Vernon yelling at him as he usually would, but by a pain so intense that it took his breath away.

Vernon…Vernon had just _kicked_ him.

Harry lay on the kitchen floor, his uncle looming over him, and it was only now that Harry noticed that he smelt strongly of alcohol.

He cradled his arm to his chest, and shuffled away as much as he was able using only his feet to push him, until he was forced to stop when his back hit a cabinet door. Harry stared up at Vernon who had followed him closely after every move he made, muttering words under his breath, his face a bright splotchy red.

Harry couldn't understand what was going on. Yes, he knew that Vernon hated him, that was clear for anyone to see, but it had never gone farther than his usual stream of easily ignorable verbal abuse, being locked outside, and the rare shove to the side whenever he didn't move out of the way fast enough. But he had never…Vernon had never really hurt him as much as he had just now, and he had certainly never _kicked _him

Harry was jolted out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching him, and realized that Vernon had moved even closer. Harry folded himself into as small a target as possible, and closed his eyes, waiting with bated breath to see what would happen next.

He didn't have to wait long.

Moving quicker than Harry thought he was capable of, Vernon bent down and grabbed the arm he had just kicked, clenching his fingers around it with bruising force. He hauled Harry up by his arm until he was level with his beet red face, and Harry's legs were left dangling in the air. Vernon's eyes looked crazy, bloodshot and roaming all over his face, and filled with so much _hate_.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment, before starting up again with a sudden rush. Or maybe that was just Harrys head rushing from the punch Vernon had just thrown at it, strong enough to propel him out of the tight grip he had on his arm, and into the closed door of the kitchen closet.

Harry cradled his throbbing head with both hands, ignoring the twinges of occasional pain in his arm. He could already feel the area around his eye starting to swell up, and all he could do was hope that Vernon was finished now.

He should have known better than to hope.

Harry heard the footsteps starting to approach him again, but this time, Vernon didn't give him a chance to move away. Before he knew it, his arms were being pushed to the side and he was knocked flat on his back by Vernon stepping on his chest.

Harry struggled to breath, grabbing hold of Vernon's leg and pushing as hard as he could, but it didn't budge, instead, the pressure just seemed to grow stronger, and black spots started appearing in the corner of Harry's vision. Instead of making him stop, Harry just redoubled his efforts, wheezing with every breath he managed to get through.

But all that resulted in was Vernon using his other leg to pin Harry's left arm to the ground. Harry struggled to pull his arm out, but he could barely breathe, or move for that matter, all his remaining energy was being focused on keeping himself from passing out due to lack of oxygen.

Through his fading vision, Harry could just barely make out a horrible smile on Vernon's face, before the unthinkable happened.

The only warning Harry got was a sudden increase in pressure on his arm, before he heard a sharp _crack!_.

It took a moment for the pain to register, but when it did, all Harry could do was wheeze out in shock, and clench his teeth on his bottom lip until it bleed.

The pain was _unbelievable_, like white hot needles piercing into his arm over and over again, and he could _feel_ his broken bones grinding against each other.

Vernon apparently didn't like that he wasn't making any noise, and he slammed his foot down on Harry's arm again, but Harry still refused to scream, refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much he was hurting him.

Eventually, Vernon must have decided that he was bored of Harry not giving him any kind of verbal reaction, and he stepped off of him, only to bend down and grab Harry again, this time by the broken arm. He dragged him by the arm out of the kitchen, and Harry could just make out mumblings about freaks, knowing your place, and respect, before he wasn't able to focus on anything besides the_ pain._

They reached his cupboard, and Vernon pushed the door open before throwing Harry inside and pulling it shut. Harry heard the lock being slid into place, and then heavy footsteps heading into the living room instead of upstairs.

Harry curled himself around his broken arm, and just lay on the cupboard floor, trying to get his breath back, and attempting to think past the pain, but it was impossible. All he could think about was how much it _hurt_, like nothing he had ever felt before.

He felt his eyes starting to water, but he refused to cry because of Vernon, he had never done so before, and he definitely wasn't going to start now, regardless…regardless of how much pain he was in.

Harry took a few deep breathes when he finally could, and tried to calm down. When he could think straight again, he decided that he needed to get off the floor, or, considering how much it hurt to move, at least sit up.

With his good arm, Harry slowly pushed himself up, but even with how slow he was going, his broken arm still jarred at every movement he made, and he was forced to bite his lip again, breaking the skin, in order to contain all the sounds of pain he would have let out otherwise.

After what felt like hours, Harry managed to prop himself against the side of his cot. He cradled his broken arm to his chest, alleviating some of the pain when he did, and noticed once his head was a little clearer that his right eye was nearly swollen shut, and that he could barely see out of it.

_This whole night just keeps getting worse and worse, _Harry thought to himself, wincing when he moved his shoulder slightly and a sharp bolt of pain raced down his arm, _but what I can't understand is why did he do it? Every time that he was angry with me before, and looked like he was about to hit me, he always held himself back, as if he was afraid to touch me, so what made this time different? It can't be because he was angry over the plate, he didn't even say anything about it. Maybe it was because he was drunk? But if that's the case, then I need, no, have to leave the house, because while I did notice that Vernon had started to drink more after work, I never really cared because it didn't affect me, besides me having to make sure that I blocked the door before I went to sleep, but now I have to care, because what if he does something like this again, but worse?_

Harry closed his good eye, and shuddered just thinking about the kinds of damage a man Vernon's size would be able to do to him, especially if just having him step on his arm snapped it like a twig, and that was with Vernon looking like he wasn't really trying.

When Harry reopened his eye, he spotted his book bag where it was leaning on the wall next to the cupboard door, and was reminded abruptly of how successful all his last attempts to leave were.

_That's right, even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't, because the secret organization would just bring me back. But why? They must know the type of people the Dursleys are, the type of man Vernon is, so why do they keep bringing me back? They have to know what's happening to me, what could happen to me, and are fine with it._

_So then, what must be wrong with me that the Dursley's feel the need to treat me the way that they do, and that people I don't even know believe that I should stay with them, who even actively make sure that I can't run away._

_What…what did I do wrong? Maybe Vernon was right, and I am just a freak who deserves everything that happens to him, because what other explanation is there for why the secret organization wants me to stay here?_

Sitting on the floor of his cupboard, Harry came to the realization that, sometimes bad things happened to people for no reason, and that little boys who lived in cupboards were meant to be hated, hurt, and treated like dirt by the people that are supposed to be their "family".

"This must be a punishment for…for, I don't know, simply being born." Harry whispered to himself, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Harry couldn't help but think that that wasn't fair, after all, he never asked for his parents to die, and for him to be left at the Dursleys. He was forced to live with horrible people, but he never complained, and tried to make the most of whatever little time he had to himself whenever he finished his chores. He made sure to always stay out of the Dursleys way, and only ever spoke when he was spoken too, save one or two instances where he was the person to initiate conversation.

_This whole situation isn't fair, I mean I've always tried to do my best, but I guess…it doesn't really matter. I should have realized before now that the world isn't kind, and that to everyone else, I don't matter, and deserve what happens to me._

_And if that's the case, then I should just stop talking to people, period._ _The only person who should have to be bothered with what I say is myself, and since I think everything that I would ever want to say, I can just save my words. Besides, it's not like I have anyone to talk to anyway, and I doubt that will change anytime soon, so it's not even like I'm really changing anything. The less I talk, the less noticeable I am, so if I stop speaking completely, the Durselys won't ever have to worry again about how much of a burden I am, because they won't even realize that I'm still in the house._

Harry knew that he was making the best decision possible for everyone, and with that final thought, he slowly lifted himself the short distance from the floor to the edge of his cot, and slid on. He scooted back carefully until he reached the pillows, and laid down as gently as he could, holding his arm close to his body so that it wouldn't move.

Harry settled down to go to sleep, his only thought being that now, he hated whoever had put him with the Dursleys as much as he did them, because if he was never forced to live with them, or at least he was able to run away, none of this would have happened.


	6. A shadow falls

When Harry woke up the next day, he opened his eyes, and was more than a little surprised that he could do so with no problem.

He stared up at the ceiling in confusion, before lifting his arm up to prod at the area around his eye, because the swelling definitely shouldn't have gone down yet, not realizing until the last second that he had just tried to use his broken arm to do so.

Harry screwed his eyes up, and held his breath, waiting for the wave of pain that would come as a result of his thoughtless action, but it never did.

Harry opened his eyes immediately when he didn't feel anything, and lifted up his supposedly broken arm and held it in front of him, turning it back and forth, and was shocked to find that it was fine, as if nothing had even happened last night.

_No, this is impossible. I definitely didn't imagine everything that happened yesterday, so what's going on? People don't heal this fast, and even if I could try to excuse the swelling going down as things like that simply not lasting as long on me, I can't do the same for my arm. I know that I've never broken a bone before, but that doesn't mean that I don't know that they don't heal up in a single day._

Harry let his arm fall down on the cot beside him, and continued to think about what was going on, because none of what was happening right now was making any sense.

_There is absolutely no reasonable expla-_

_Wait, if there's no reasonable explanation_, _then there must be an unreasonable explanation._

_This must be because of, _Harry thought, bringing both of his hands up to press them to his chest,_ the power that I have._

At that thought, Harry felt a rush of warmth go through him, emanating from his chest as if in agreement. The same warmth that he felt that day in the library, and every time he asked for help from the cleaning supplies every Sunday, and even last night, with the plate.

_So you've helped me once again? Thank you, _Harry thought to his power, and he received another rush of warmth in response, making him smile.

"I really mean it, honestly and truly, from the very bottom of my heart." Harry whispered, hugging his arms around himself, and wasn't it strange, and wonderful, and _amazing _that he could do that?

"You've been with me from the start of everything, and I don't think that I've ever thanked you, and that's horrible. I know that I may just seem like I'm talking to myself right now, but I feel in my heart that you're listening, that even if you have no ears, you can still hear. You can hear me and I want you to know that I am grateful, not only for everything you've done for me without being asked, but for always being with me. You are a constant, and more than that, a friend, the only one I have, and the only other thing that I truly trust besides myself." Harry continued, and he did so because he felt this needed to be said. His power was always with him, even when he didn't realize it, helping him and caring about him. His power didn't need to be a person to be talked to and thanked for helping him, because it's common sense to thank someone, or something for helping you, even if they don't realize that they did.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, _thank you." _Harry repeated, hugging himself tighter with each repetition, his power now emanating from him in a constant stream of warmth, and Harry liked to imagine that this was his power trying to hug him back.

Harry was brought short by the sound of the cupboard door being unlocked, and he felt a little bit of his happiness recede, but not all of it. He still had a small smile on his face as he sat up, unwrapping his arms from the position they had been in for the last few minutes, hugging him.

_Let's keep this just between you and me, ok? I told myself that I would stop talking yesterday, but I'll always make an exception for you, not only because you're always there for me, but because you made me realize that I was wrong about the conclusions that I made about myself yesterday. There is nothing wrong with me, and I am not bad or a freak, because if I was, then how could I have you? You're the best thing that's happened to me, and there can't possibly be something wrong with me if you chose to be with me._ _The only ones who are wrong are the Dursleys, for ever making me believe anything different._

Harry was just about to stand up, when he felt something brush against his arms. He quickly turned his head to see what it was, and got smacked in the face by his hair for his efforts.

_Wait, hair? How could it be hitting me in the face, when it just barely touches my shoulder... _Harry trailed off, caught off guard by what he saw on the bed.

There was hair, _everywhere_, and he didn't mean just lying on the bed, but still attached to his head and pooling on the covers behind him.

_Wow, _Harry thought, picking up a piece and pulling on it gently. When he felt an answering sting on his head, he realized that he wasn't dreaming.

_I guess quick healing comes with super-fast hair growth? I know I said that it might be useful to grow my hair out like Rapunzel, but I never thought that I would be seeing the results of that thought so quickly._

Harry finally stood up, and marveled at the extra weight he could now feel attached to his head. He looked behind himself again, and saw that his hair now reached his lower back, and from the sunlight coming through the cracks of the cupboard door, he noticed that it gleamed a nice bluish - black.

_This is going to take some getting used too, _Harry thought as he made his way to the unlocked door,_ but I like it, so that's fine._

_Now, O Great Power of my Heart, _he thought laughing softly to himself as he stopped right in front of the door,_ I know that I realized what I thought last night was wrong, but there are two things I would like to hold onto, as they'll be useful from now on. One of the things is not talking, but that I can do on my own, the other, however, is something that I'll need your help for. I want to go unnoticed, like a shadow. Everyone knows that shadows are there, we see them every day, but because we see them so often, they have become a disregarded fact of life, fading into the background. I would like it if you could make me like a shadow. If I'm like this, it'll be to get around and live in this house, since I don't know if I'll ever be able to leave. Will you help me?_

Harry felt a wave of warmth rush over him, but seeing as he was still inside his cupboard, he would have to go out to see if anything really happened.

He took a deep breath, and pulled open the cupboard door, stepping into the living room.

Right away he noticed Vernon sitting on the sofa in front of the TV watching the news, and he decided that he would be his first test.

_You may have hurt me Vernon, but that just shows that there is everything wrong with you, and not me. _Harry thought to himself as he walked with his back straight and head held high over to where Vernon was sitting.

_I'm not afraid of you, and I never will be, because I know that, even being eight years old, I'm a better person than you could ever be, having lived for as long as you have, and that only weak bullies prey on those that can't defend themselves. I will never be afraid of a bully, so I will never be afraid of you._

Harry stepped right in front of the TV, blocking Vernon's line of sight, and stood there. He looked at his face, and saw that Vernon's expression hadn't changed, not in the slightest. He still had that same glassy eyed look that he seemed to wear whenever he did something that required thinking.

Harry felt a grin break out on his face, and he walked towards the kitchen with a spring in his step. It had worked, and now he only needed to test it out on Petunia and Dudley to be sure of it.

He stepped into the kitchen and saw that the two people he was just thinking about were sitting at the kitchen table, finishing up one of Petunia's rarely made breakfasts'.

Harry walked up to them and spun around in a circle a few times, his hair trailing along behind him, but they didn't look up. He then waved his hand in front of their faces, and still no response.

He started to let out a little laugh over the silly things he was doing, and excitement over his plan working, but he had to quickly slap his hands over his mouth to muffle the sound, as Petunia and Dudley had started to look up at the sound.

Harry stood there frozen until their attention returned back to their food, and then he silently made his way out of the kitchen, and back into the living room.

_So I guess it works completely, except for when I try and say something, or make any noise with my mouth, which makes sense, since shadows are completely silent, and I asked to be like a shadow. But that's fine, this just gives me the opportunity to make sure that I stick with my plan of not talking, because once I start talking, I won't be unnoticed anymore, and I don't want that._

Harry stood in the middle of the living room, and looked around a little bit, before deciding to head back to the library, since, with his new power, he would be free from doing chores for the foreseeable future.

_I suppose now I'll get to experience what it's like living in a house where you don't have to do anything, but I'll still take care of the garden, as the poor flowers shouldn't have to suffer through what Petunia considers gardening._

Harry walked out the front door, and made sure to leave it unlocked for when he returned later, and started walking down the now familiar path to the library.

Once Harry reached it, he headed straight to the language section from yesterday, and instead of grabbing the _Languages of the World_ book, looked for one that would be able to teach him German.

He didn't see any books that would be able to do that in the first book case, so he moved on to the second, and then the third when that one proved to be just as useful.

It was when he reached the 4th bookcase that he struck gold, and he reached up, stretching his arm as far as he could when he spotted the book he needed on the 5th shelf, but even doing that, he couldn't reach it.

_How annoying, _Harry thought, straining his arm up higher and higher, _this is getting me nowhere. Please book, do you think that you can find in your paper heart the will to come to me? _Harry asked, and just like that, it did.

The book shimmied itself out of its spot on the shelf, and feel with a small thud into Harry's outstretched hand.

Harry held the book in his hand, and smiled when he realized that he didn't need to speak out loud to get his power to respond, he could just _think_ what he wanted to happen.

_Well then, this will make not speaking a lot easier, since I can just think the things that I would normally say. And anyway, isn't thinking just like talking, but without voicing the words? At least I think so, and writing comes second after thinking, since you have to carefully consider what you are going to write before you write it, though this is a bit slower than talking, it still gets the point across._

Harry decided that with the order of his preferred forms of communication established, he could now start looking for a place to sit.

_I don't want to go back to my usual spot, _Harry thought as he made his way over to the front of the library where the tables were, _at least not today. Today, I need to perform the final test of my powers. I know that the Dursleys don't notice me, but I have to see if people I don't know won't be able to notice me as well, and lucky for me, there are more people in the library today than there usually are._

Harry turned the corner around the last book shelf, and walked into the open space that held the tables.

Normally, there would be only 2 or 3 people sitting around reading books, but today, there were two groups of 6 occupying the library, and spread out unevenly among the 8 tables.

Harry scanned the room, and then headed straight for the table that held the most people, two girls and two boys, all looking to be about 15 or 16.

They were paired up sitting in the seats on either side of the table, leaving the seat at the head of the table empty. This was the seat that Harry went to, and when he reached the table he sat down, setting his book down in front of him.

None of the other people at the table looked up at his sudden appearance, and they all continued their quiet conversations as if nothing had happened.

Harry waved his hand in front of the faces of the people closest to him, like he had done earlier with Petunia and Dudley, and just like then, no one looked up.

Harry sat back, a feeling of satisfaction welling up within him, because his plan had _worked_, and now he knew that he had one advantage on the secret organization, well, besides the fact that he knew that it existed.

He settled down in his chair, and considering he would be fairly uncomfortable reading the book with it flat on the table, he pulled his legs up on the chair, and put the book on his lap, leaning against his legs.

Looking at the book, Harry noticed that it was apparently part of a series, because the cover read _Learning Languages Volume 6: German._

_I guess that means if this book is good, I can just learn some more languages from the other volumes._

Harry opened up the book to the first page, and let the sounds of the quiet conversations going on around him fade out into background noise.

He stopped there though, when he remembered something he had seen on TV one night a few months ago, when the Dursleys forgot to turn it off before going to bed.

It was a program that had a man talking to a big group of people about some type of business. Harry didn't remember the whole speech that the man gave, but he did remember the one line that stood out and stuck with him until now.

The man said that the first step in succeeding with something that you're doing is to visualize yourself accomplishing your goal. You have to tell yourself, and _see_ yourself doing what you set out to do, and if you do that, success is guaranteed.

Harry took those words to heart, and it was with that mindset that he had attempted to leave the Dursleys the first time, and even though that attempt failed, it wasn't because of how he was thinking, but outside interference.

So Harry continued to hold that mindset through everything that happened in the days following, and since it was able to take him to his current position, where he held more freedom than he ever thought possible, even if he _was_ still with the Dursleys, he knew that it wouldn't fail him now.

Harry cleared his mind, and imagined himself knowing, writing, and speaking in German, and while he was doing that, he repeated to himself, _I will learn this. I will learn this. I Will learn this._

When he finished the last repetition, though, the strangest thing happened. Harry felt the warmth that he had come to associate with his power converge up in head, and collect in his hands before leaving them and seemingly going into the book.

Harry snapped his eyes open, and stared in the book in bewilderment as it started to glow white, softly at first, and then gaining intensity with every second that passed.

_What in the world is happening? _Harry thought, and he was forced to close his eyes when the glow grew too intense. He tried to let go of the book, but his hands wouldn't move, and he felt an intense pressure in his head before everything faded to black.

* * *

_"__Was ist los? Warum tut mir der Kopf so weh? Das Letzte woran ich mich erinnere ist, dass ich in der Bücherrei war und dann... ein helles Licht? Das ist so merkw- Moment, etwas ist falsch mit meiner Stimme, und warum klinge ich so komisch? I-(What just happened? And why does my head hurt so much? The last thing I remember is being in the library and then ... a bright light? This is so stran- wait, what's wrong with my voice, and why do I sound so funny? I-)_

Just as he was about to continue talking, Harry's mind was assaulted by a flood of information, and he realized that his voice sounded weird because he was speaking in _German. _He was speaking in German, and he understood everything that he was saying!

Harry finally opened his eyes and saw that he was still in the library, but that he was the only one there, and that it was obviously passed closing hours. The lights were off, and instead of the sunlight he was expecting, moonlight was streaming in from the uncovered windows at the front of the library.

_I...I fell asleep? No, that doesn't seem right. I was getting ready to read the book, and then. ..and then it started glowing! That's right, I was just about to read the book, when it started glowing and then my head started to hurt, and I must have passed out._

_So I passed out for a couple of hours, and then I woke up speaking German? _Harry's eyebrows furrowed as he looked down at the book that was leaning against his chest, odd glow absent._ My power must have done something._

Taking the book in hand he opened it up to a random page. He looked down and realized thathe could_ read_ the passage written in German there.

_So it really is true, _Harry thought, moving to get out of the chair he was still sitting in, _this...this is amazing! I can't believe that I can do something like this! An entire language, learned in a couple of hours, this is unbelievable._

Harry started to spin around with the book clutched to his chest, a huge grin on his face. He couldn't believe how lucky he was that his power could do this.

He held the book out in front of him, and started swaying to an imaginary song, his hair swinging with him. He spun between the tables, laughing as loud as he wanted since there was no one there to see, or tell him to stop.

_This is simply incredible! But I have to make sure to be careful with it, and I can't use it all the time. I mean, if just doing it this one time made me pass out for at least 6 hours, it obviously takes a lot out of me, not to mention I'm left vulnerable for the whole time that I'm processing the information that I just took in._

Harry stopped in the middle of a row of bookcases, and really thought about what this new power of his meant for him.

_This is a great way to learn languages, but I have to be responsible with it. I obviously can't do it anywhere that I want, I mean it's a miracle that I remained unnoticed while I was unconscious, but what if the same doesn't happen the next time that I do this, and the secret organization gets a hold of me? That's one situation that I would be more than happy not to see come true._

_And, this is the most important part, can I still speak English?_

Harry felt the smile drop off his face to be replaced with a frown. He was still happy about everything, but it would be extremely problematic if he couldn't speak English because he had a bunch of other languages filling up his head.

_Well, there's only one way to find out if this is even a real worry that I should have._

Harry cleared his throat, and got ready to speak for the second time since he woke up in the closed library.

"Mein Name ist Harry." _No, that's not right. Ok, one more time._ "Mein Name ist Harry." _Still not right, but third time is supposed to be the charm, right?_ "My name is Harry." _Success!_

_Ok, now that I know that I can still speak English, that's one thing I don't have to worry about in regards to this new power._

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, and let his smile return to his face, but he didn't let the knowledge that he didn't have to worry about that anymore cloud his thinking, or his judgement. This new power of his was something that he would only let himself use every few months, if that often.

_I have to make sure to always remember that too much of anything is a bad thing. I don't want to abuse this power now, and end up experiencing some kind of horrible side-effects later. This is my mind I'm dealing with, so I absolutely can't even take the chance that I might mess it up._

Harry nodded to himself, and went to go put the book back on its shelf. With that done, he turned around to take in the darkened library, and decided that he would stay there for the night.

_There are definitely worst places that you could end up sleeping in than a library, and now that I think about it, I think that chair at the librarians desk has cushions on it, so that'll be much more comfortable than sleeping in a regular wooden chair, or the floor._

Harry walked over to the librarian's desk, and stepped behind it, finding the cushioned chair, and a box labeled _Lost and Found_. He knelt down next to the box and looked inside of it. There was a ball cap, key ring, a black and white stripped scarf, and a pair of small black gloves.

He picked up the gloves, and was surprised at how soft they were. They weren't cotton, or leather, but some other kind of soft material, and they looked and felt finely made.

Harry had never owned, or even worn a pair of gloves before, so this was a new experience for him. He pulled the gloves on, one after the other, and saw that they fit perfectly.

It was weird, but as soon as he put them on and saw them covering his hands, effectively leaving the only part of him that was uncovered being his face, a part of him that he didn't even realize was tense seemed to relax, and an odd feeling swept over him that reminded him of safety.

_These are really wonderful, _Harry though, flexing his hands and curling them back and forth, _it would be fine if I kept them, right? I mean they did come from a lost and found, so that just means that they were lost, but now they're found._

_Yes, I think I will keep them, because they really are very nice. I wonder why people don't wear gloves all the time, I know that they can't only be for winter. Well, it doesn't matter if no one else wears gloves all the time, because I will. There's just something about them that, I don't know, appeals to me. I feel like I was always meant to wear gloves._

Harry stood back up, gloves still on his hands, and went over to the librarians chair to sit down. He sat down in the chair, and curled up, hugging his legs to his chest, and leaning his head on the cushioned back of the chair.

Harry decided that a small nap wouldn't hurt, especially considering the fact that, even though he was unconscious for most of the day, he didn't feel rested at all.

He closed his eyes, and his final thought before he fell asleep was a thank you to his power, its answering pulse of warmth following Harry into his dreams.


	7. Talking Snake

Life continued on in this fashion for 2 more years, Harry's ability to go unnoticed never let up, and despite a few slips here and there, it was truly like he had never even existed to the Dursleys.

Though for the first few months that he went unnoticed, it was strange not having a single word spoken to him, but eventually he got used to it. So much so in fact, that now, almost three years later, Harry knew that he would find it strange instead to be spoken to.

And speaking of years passed, his birthdays passed by as just another day in the Dursley household, save for Harry singing Happy Birthday to himself in the minutes before the clock struck twelve, and the day changed from July 31st, to the first of August. But even as he turned 9, and then 10, nothing about him had really changed. He didn't grow much taller, though he was positive that he had at least gained an inch, two at the most if he was feeling optimistic.

The only thing that seemed to really grow was his hair, having grown from reaching his lower back, to just below his waist, oh, and Dudley, who most definitely grew rounder.

Having it as long as it was was nice, but also rather inconvenient, at least it was until Harry learned of a way to keep it manageable. While he was visiting the park one day about 6 months ago, he had seen a pair of girls sitting on a bench, braiding each other's hair.

Having seen that doing so made their hair much easier to handle, Harry had asked his power if it could do the same for him. It turns out that it could, and from that day on, Harry usually had his hair braided, courtesy of his power, or out when he felt like doing something different with it.

The ability to braid his hair wasn't the only thing that Harry learned in the time between that day in the library, which seemed like it was so long ago, and now, when he was a little over a month away from turning 11. No, Harry made sure to put his ability to learn whole books with his power to good use, so after many trips to the library, Harry could now proclaim himself proficient in German, French, Italian, and Latin, and considered himself a fairly knowledgeable authority on the topic of fairytales, and mythology.

Life for him at this point was as perfect as it could be, given that he still lived with the Dursleys. That being the case, though, didn't mean that he gave up on his attempts to escape. It's just that they all proved to be unsuccessful, but since his life at the Dursleys now that he was like a shadow to them wasn't so bad, he figured that, for now at least, it was ok that he couldn't leave.

Harry was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Dudley running down the steps, making dust rain down on Harry as he did so, yelling about how he was about to open his birthday presents.

_That's right, it's June 23rd, isn't it. Dudley's birthday is today, and that means that in a little over a month, it's going to be mine._ _I'm_ _going to be 11, though that_ _doesn't_ _really mean much. This upcoming birthday is just going to be like all the ones that came before it._

Harry decided to stop thinking about a day that was over a month away, and focus on the present.

He sat up on his cot and asked his power to braid his hair, grabbing his gloves from their place besides his pillow as it was doing that, and slipping them on.

They still fit, even after almost three years, and Harry knew that that was either because he truly hadn't grown since he was 8, which wasn't unbelievable, or his power had made the gloves grow with him as he grew the little amount that he did.

_Either way,_ _I_ _still have them, and if you think about it, being small is a good thing. It's just another way to help me go unnoticed, being small makes it easier and gives you more places to hide, and when you_ _don't_ _grow, clothes fit you longer. If_ _I_ _had grown as much as kids my age normally did, then_ _I'm_ _really not sure what_ _I_ _would be wearing_ _right_ _now. I mean, Dudley's castaway clothes that_ _I'm_ _wearing have to stop fitting me at some point, right?_

Harry thought about that for a minute, looking down at the shirt that on him, might as well be a dress, and came to the conclusion that his previous thoughts were just wishful thinking.

He gave his head a single shake to rid himself of his unnecessary thoughts, and went back to getting ready.

Harry pulled out his shoes from their place underneath his cot, and put on the socks he had balled up inside of them before slipping on the shoes. That done, he stood up and walked over to the cupboard door, his power unlocking it before he even had to ask it to, and walked out into the pandemonium that was the morning of Dudley's birthday.

Right away Harry noticed that there was no one in the living room, and that he could hear Dudley complaining about something in the kitchen, and Petunia trying to soothe him.

Harry walked into the kitchen, and was greeted by the sight of the kitchen table completely buried under presents, with more laying on the floor.

Dudley was seated in the chair at the table that wasn't taken up by more gifts, counting the ones on the table. Petunia was hovering behind his shoulder with plates filled with breakfast foods and sweets, and Vernon was standing across the table from Dudley with his arms crossed as much as they could go, boasting about how much of a "man" Dudley was, "just like his father".

Harry looked around and saw that there were more plates of food resting on the kitchen counter, most likely for Vernon, and reached over to grab a piece of toast from one of the plates to eat.

With his breakfast in hand, Harry was just about to walk out of the kitchen when he heard Petunia announce that they, meaning the Dursleys, would be going out to the zoo for Dudley's birthday.

_The zoo?_ Harry thought turning back around to the sight of Dudley excitedly going on about inviting his friend to come with him, _I've_ _never been to the zoo before. I should go too, it'll be like an early birthday present to myself._

Harry tapped the fingers of his free hand against his cheek, head tilted to the side in thought, watching as Dudley abandoned his unopened presents, in favor of getting out of his chair to head upstairs to get ready to leave, and nodded his head once to himself._ Yes, I think, no, I will go, not only because I want to, but also because it's not like the Dursleys will notice me sliding into the car at the last minute anyway._

With his mind made up, Harry turned back around and walked into the living room, and took a seat on the sofa closest to the door. It would take Dudley a few minutes to get ready, so he decided that he might as well sit down while he was eating his piece of toast.

It was a few minutes later, just as he had predicted, that Dudley came thundering down the stairs, yelling for Vernon to "Hurry up and get the car started, we don't have all day, and Piers is already waiting outside!"

Harry took that as his cue to stand up, and he did, dusting the crumbs from the toast off of his lap before he did so. Once he was standing, he waited until Dudley was already out the door to follow after.

It was seconds after Harry had left that Vernon came huffing out of the house, his car keys jingling from where they were clenched in his meaty fists. He was followed directly after by Petunia, who was muttering something as she slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder, and pulled the door shut behind her.

Vernon pressed the button to unlock the doors of the car, and it was then that Harry noticed that Dudley's friend really was already in front of the house as he slid into the car, followed by Dudley.

Harry hurried over to where the door was still open on Petunia's side, as Vernon was already sitting in the car trying to start it up, and climbed in before she did. From there he maneuvered himself into the free space next to Dudley's friend, and the door.

He settled himself down in the seat, and made sure not to touch Piers as he did so. Harry moved his braid so that it was hanging in front of him over his right shoulder and turned his head to look out the window.

Harry had only been in Vernon's car... well, he actually had never been in his car before, so this was a first.

It was a few minutes later that Petunia got in the car, and then they were off.

_It's a little strange seeing everything pass by so quickly. _Harry thought as he looked out the window at the scenery flying by, _strange, but cool. I like it._

Soon they were driving past the park, and it was just as they were about to pass it completely that Harry realized something very important.

_Won't I just be sent back to the house once we pass the end of the street? That was the farthest I was ever able to go when I tried to leave before. But does it still count if I'm not trying to leave? I mean, I'm with the Dursleys right now, so it's not like I'm trying to escape from them._

As Harry was thinking this, the end of the street was quickly approaching. _I really, really, hope that I don't get sent back._

Harry closed his eyes when he saw out of the car window that they had finally passed the park completely.

He sat there, tense, and then he experienced the strangest sensation. It was like he had just passed through a flexible wall. The wall was unyielding at first, and then it seemed to cling to him as he passed through it, before it snapped off of him with a _pop!, _that, strangely enough, he felt, instead of heard.

Harry shivered slightly when the feeling had passed, and he decided to wait and see if anything else would happen. But when a few moments had passed, and he could still feel the car moving, and the conversation going on between Dudley and Piers, he opened his eyes to see that they had passed the end of the street, and that he was still in the car.

_I don't know what just happened, maybe…maybe that was me passing the boundary of where the secret organizations power extends? That's what seems like the most likely explanation for what that was, and I must not have been sent back because I'm with the Dursleys right now, and not by myself._

_They must be able to sense intent,_ Harry thought, finally letting himself relax in his seat in the car, _when I passed the boundary before, my intent was to leave the Dursleys, so I got sent back. But now when I passed it, I was traveling with the Dursleys, with the intent to stay with them. I'm not actively trying or thinking about leaving, so I was able to continue through it._

_Hmm, I wonder if I'll ever be able to do something like this. It seems really useful, though I would appreciate it more if it wasn't being used against me._

Harry's attention was soon caught by bright flashes of color outside the car window, and he looked out of it to see that while he was thinking, they had arrived at the zoo.

The car soon slowed down, finally coming to a stop at the end of a long line of cars outside of the zoo.

Vernon unlocked the doors of the car, and Harry followed Dudley and his friend out of their side of the car. It wasn't long after they got out that they were soon joined by Vernon and Petunia.

Harry followed behind the group as they made their way to the entrance of the zoo, and once he was inside, he looked around in awe at all the commotion that was going on around him.

Children were running back and forth, brightly colored balloons clutched in their hands, little carts where situated all over the place selling different foods and sweets, and the air was simply filled with _noise. _People talking, laughing, shouting, music playing out of speakers set at the top of long poles, it was quite frankly chaotic, and Harry didn't feel very comfortable.

He stepped to the side when he got bumped into for the 4th time, and he looked around the area he was in, trying to find someplace that looked like it would be quite.

The Dursleys had already disappeared into the crowd while he was taking in everything a few minutes ago, but Harry wasn't planning to stay with them for the majority of the trip anyway, so he wasn't really concerned about that.

_This really wasn't what I was expecting, _Harry thought as he continued to look for a quiet place to retreat too,_ but it makes sense that I wouldn't be used too, or comfortable around so much noise and such a large group of people, considering this is my first time experiencing something like this. But even with that, I'm absolutely certain now that I prefer the solitude that I'm used to over all this. I guess I'm just not a people person._

Harry's gaze finally landed on a dark green entrance to a building set off to the side. The sign above the entrance read _Reptile House_, and Harry noticed that not many people looked like they were going inside of it, so he decided to head over in that direction.

Harry made his way over to the reptile house, using his small size to his advantage as he dodged pass people, and managed to get to the entrance without being bumped into again.

He walked inside the reptile house, and was immediately hit by a blast of cool air. The inside of the reptile house was dimly lit, and everywhere that Harry looked he saw walls made entirely out of glass, with different plants and even water behind them.

Harry took his time as he walked around the thankfully less populated area of the zoo, looking at all the reptiles in their different habitats.

He saw iguanas, tiny geckos, color changing chameleons, and bright green Chinese water dragons that, despite their name, weren't actually dragons, as Harry was disappointed to find out.

Harry turned a corner, and was surprised to come across the Dursleys so soon after they had left him. Vernon and Petunia were talking, and in front of them banging on a huge glass wall were Dudley and Piers.

He walked over to try and find out what they were doing, and saw that they were trying, in vain, to catch the attention of a large snake that was coiled around a tree behind the glass.

Harry stopped a few spaces down from where Dudley was, and waited until he got bored of receiving no reaction from the snake and wandered off, before moving over to take Dudley's spot.

It was like the snake was waiting for Dudley to leave, because after he did, Harry observed the snake opening its eyes, and lifting its head up from where it was resting on a tree branch.

The snake stared at Harry before it started to hiss.

_"__Ssso the loud one isss gone, only to be replaced with another. Go away sssmall one." _Harry suddenly heard, and he looked around to see who could be talking, only to realize that he was the only one in this part of the reptile house.

_"__You are ssstill here. Leave."_ Harry heard again, but this time he noticed a weird hissing quality to the words, and he slowly turned his head back around, staring wide eyed at the snake when he realized that it must have been the one who was talking.

Harry waited to see if the snake would say something again, and sure enough, it did.

_"__You ssstill have not left, but you are looking at me sssmall one, ssso you must be examining my beautiful ssscalesss." _The snake hissed again, but this time Harry was able to see it, and the first thought that popped into his head after he realized that the words he was hearing were coming from the snake was, _I didn't know snakes could talk._

_This is really amazing, but wouldn't this be something that everyone knows? I mean, until now, I thought that the only things that could talk with words were humans. But maybe it isn't that all snakes can talk, and it's only that this snake is special._

_I wonder if talking to a snake counts as talking to a human? I don't think it does, because even if I've never spoken to a snake before, I don't think that it has any reason to lie to me, since it doesn't even know me._

Harry wrapped his left arm around his body, and tapped the fingers of his right hand against his cheek as he thought about whether or not he should talk to the snake.

After a few seconds of just staring at the snake, he decided that he might as well, because honestly speaking, Harry knew that it was extremely unlikely that he would come across another talking snake anytime soon after this one, so he might as well take the chance to talk to it while he could.

"_Hello sssnake. I hope I'm not bothering you, but I wasss just wondering if you could tell me how you came to learn how to ssspeak like a human." _ Harry asked the snake, and when he did, the snake reared back, as if in surprise.

A moment of silence passed with Harry and the snake just staring at each other, before the snake slithered off the tree it was laying on, and moved closer to the glass.

"_Hello SSSpeaker, and it isss not that I am ssspeaking human, but that you are ssspeaking sssnake." _The snake hissed at Harry, and it was only after it said that, that he realized that it _did_ sound strange when he was speaking to the snake.

_So it isn't that this is a rare snake that can speak like a human, but that I am a rare human that can speak like a snake. How strange. And I wouldn't have even noticed if the snake hadn't pointed it out, because to me, it just sounded like the two of us were speaking English._

Harry felt a smile break out on his face as he was thinking about his newfound ability to talk to snakes. He stepped closer to the glass, and this time when he spoke, he noticed that even though the words were English in his head, they came out as hisses from his mouth.

"_Thank you for bringing thisss fact to my attention. I didn't realize that I could ssspeak sssnake until today." _Harry hissed to the snake.

"_It isss no problem SSSpeaker."_ The snake hissed back.

Harry thought for a moment, before deciding on the next question that he would ask the snake.

"_How iss life asss a ssnake?"_ Harry asked, hissing back to the snake.

"_It iss life,"_ The snake responded. Harry didn't know what answer he was really expecting from the snake, but the answer he got seemed right enough. After all, life to a snake is simply life, nothing special, or anything to be "oohed" and "ahhed" about, just like how life to a human was just life.

_I guess some things are only thought of as interesting when we think about it from the perspective of another. I asked it how life was as a snake, because I'm humans, but to the snake, it isn't living the life of a snake, but the only life it's ever known. It doesn't think of itself as a snake, because to it, it's just alive, and humans are the ones who call it as such, so I guess my question was a little pointless._

_"__Ok, thank you for anssswering. Um, where are you from?" _Harry asked.

In response the snake used its tail to point down to the space just to the left of it, and Harry looked to where it was pointing, only to see a small black plaque with white writing on it that showed that the snake was from Brazil.

_"__Oh, ssso you were born in Brazil, iss it nice there?"_

Instead of saying anything, the snake just pointed back at the plaque.

Harry looked at it again to see if he had missed anything, and saw that underneath where it said where the snake was from were the words _Born and raised in captivity._

_"Oh, _Harry hissed, looking back at the snake, _ssso you've never been to Brazil."_

_"No Ssspeaker. I have never been, but I have alwaysss wanted to go. I hate thisss place." _The snake finally hissed back.

Harry looked at the snake for a long time after it said that, thinking about how similar they were.

Both of them were forced to stay in places that they honestly wanted to leave. And just like the snake, Harry was with the Dursleys practically since he was born, save for the one year that he had spent with his parents that he barely remembered.

The glass wall was the equivalent of Harry's boundary, and the zoo keepers were the snake's version of the secret organization.

Harry placed his hands on the glass on either side of the snake, and decided that since he couldn't do anything to help himself, at least in regards to leaving the Dursleys, the least he could do was help the snake version of himself escape to where it wanted to go.

_By helping you, I'll be helping myself in a way. I might not be able to leave my place in captivity yet, but at least I'll have the satisfaction of knowing that at least one of us is free._

But as chance may have it, just as Harry's power was acting on his will to transport the snake to Brazil,(he knew that brazil was in South America, his quest for languages having instilled in him a want to travel and see the world) by making the glass wall disappear (Harry didn't understand why it couldn't just do it from inside the glass, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't work otherwise) Dudley had decided to come back to the snake display, and upon seeing that the snake was moving around, ran straight up to the glass wall.

Now, if Dudley had decided to do this at any moment besides right now, this would be fine. But because he did do it at precisely this moment, instead of slamming his hands down on the glass wall in his excitement, he slammed his hands down on open air, and with the force with which he had done this with, ended up falling into the snake habitat.

So while Dudley went in, the snake crawled out, the glass wall reappearing once it did, all this happening in a matter of seconds.

All Harry could do was stumble back in surprise, and cover his mouth to try and muffle his laughter at the picture Dudley made, confused and dazed, closed in behind the glass wall.

Vernon and Petunia noticed what had happened a few seconds later, and once they did, Petunia started to scream before she fainted and fell to the floor, attracting the attention of every other person in the reptile house, and Vernon's face turned a very unattractive shade of purple while he stood there, sputtering in disbelief, not even noticing his wife laying on the floor next to him.

Harry bent down and gathered the snake in his arms so that it wouldn't get trampled by all the people rushing over to observe Dudley in his natural habitat. He almost fell over due to how heavy it was, but he managed to keep his balance, and with the snake wrapped around the upper half of his body, he headed over to a shadowed alcove he had spotted earlier in between the gecko and chameleon exhibit.

_I never could have predicted that all of this would happen, _Harry thought, still laughing to himself, albeit silently.

_"Well, asss you can probably tell, you're free now. All that'sss left is to sssend you to Brazil. Are you ready?" _Harry asked the snake.

"_Yesss Ssspeaker, I am forever grateful and in your debt for this ssservice you have done for me. Ssshould you ever find yourssself in Brazil, find me, and I will asssist you asss much asss I am able." _The snake replied.

Harry nodded his head, and asked his power to take the snake to Brazil.

_"Itsss a promissse." _Harry hissed.

"_Yesss, a promissse. Goodbye amigo." _The snake hissed back, before it disappeared with a loud _bang!._

Almost immediately after the snake left, Harry was hit by a sudden wave of weakness, and he lowered himself down to the floor.

_Ok, transporting snakes to Brazil takes a lot more out of me than I thought. But that's ok, since I doubt that I'll be doing anything like this again._

Harry sat on the floor until he felt well enough to stand back up, and when he did, he walked back over to the snake habitat to see if anything had changed from when he left it earlier.

Once he got back over there, he saw that the people who worked at the zoo must have gotten Dudley out, because he was sitting on the floor next to his mother with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

Vernon was yelling at a man in a suit about how "he was going to sue the zoo", and that "compensation must be made to right the wrongs that have been done to his son."

_Well, it's probably going to be a while before we leave, so I might as well sit down, _Harry thought as he moved to do exactly that.

_This isn't how I expected my first visit to the zoo to be like, but I can't say that it was a bad first visit. I was able to make a friend and help them out, and that's enough to make this whole trip worth it._

* * *

It was about three weeks later, around the 20th of July, that Harry received a rather shocking surprise in the mail.

Now Harry didn't normally bother looking at the mail, because he knew that anything that came would be for the Dursleys, but today, for whatever reason, he looked over at the mail when it slid through the slot in the door, and noticed a strange letter laying on top of all the rest.

Harry almost walked away, but his curiosity took over, and he walked closer to the pile of mail on the floor, and picked up the letter. The envelope was heavy, and even though Harry couldn't feel it because he had his gloves on, he saw that it looked soft and textured.

He flipped the letter over to its front, and saw, written in dark green ink in fine cursive, the words _Mr. H. Potter,_ and directly under that, _The Cupboard under the stairs,_ and_ 4, Privet Drive, Little Whining Surrey._

Harry looked at the letter in surprise, and his first thought was, _How strange, and suspicious, but mainly suspicion. This must be the secret organization trying to establish first contact with me._

_I mean, there's only one person whose name starts with H in this house, and that's me, so my last name must be Potter... and also, who else would know where I sleep, and even be able to send a letter addressed to that location? No one else besides them, and I know it's not the Dursleys trying to play a trick on me, because I'm pretty sure that they forgot that I even exist. Which is pretty amazing considering the fact that I lived with them for seven years before I decided to go unnoticed, but I'll just chalk that up to the Dursleys being themselves._

_But back to the letter. I know that it must have come from the secret organization, so I should probably open it, but before I do, I need to make sure that it's safe. Could you check it and tell me if I should open it or not?_ Harry asked, directing his question towards his power.

It did it's now familiar answering pulse of warmth, and gathered in his hands before going into the letter.

The letter glowed white briefly, and when it stopped, Harry's power projected a sense of safety to him.

_So the letter is fine, no underhanded tricks to be found, at least none that my power could detect. Now the only thing left to do is open it._

Harry decided that the middle of the hallway wasn't really the best place to be doing this, so he turned around and walked back to his cupboard.

He opened the door and walked inside, locking it behind him, and sat down cross-legged on his cot. Once he was seated, his power pulled the cord hanging down from the ceiling above him, turning on the single bare light bulb that was Harry's main source of light.

_Thank you. Now, let's see what they have to say, _Harry thought, turning the letter over, and breaking the wax seal on the back.

Harry pulled out the two pieces of paper from inside the envelope, and saw that they looked to be made of the same material as the envelope. He unfolded the papers, and proceeded to read what was written on them.

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_  
_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

_Dear Mr. Potter, We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_  
_Deputy Headmistress_

_HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY_

_UNIFORM_  
_First-year students will require:_  
_1\. Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear _  
_3\. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_  
_4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags._

_COURSE BOOKS_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_  
_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

_OTHER EQUIPMENT_

_1 wand_  
_1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)_  
_1 telescope_  
_1 set brass scales_

_Students may also bring, if they desire, an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS_ _ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICK_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Lucinda Thomsonicle-Pocus_  
_Chief Attendant of Witchcraft Provisions_

_Wow...I did not expect that. _Harry stared down at the papers in his hands, wide eyed, in disbelief.

_Witchcraft, wizardry, magic. So that power that I have is called magic...and there's apparently a school that teaches children how to use it? That's amazing! _

Harry felt a smile break out on his face. Magic, he had magic, and that meant that he was like the sorcerers and magicians in the stories that he read.

He looked down at the letter to read it again, but he found himself pausing at the very beginning of the first piece of paper, and a frown soon replaced his smile.

_Wait, I know that I'm happy, but I can't forget that this letter came from the secret organization. The secret organization which is apparently this Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Why would the school want me to stay with the Dursleys? No, not the school, the Headmaster. Why would this Albus Dumbledore feel the need to force me to stay with the Dursleys, and actively return me whenever I tried to leave?_

_No matter how you look at it, that doesn't seem normal, even for a magic school. There is absolutely no reason for the Headmaster to be so concerned with me, I'm just one student among who knows how many._

Harry's hands clenched around the papers in his hand, wrinkling them slightly. He stared at them hard for a moment longer, before he sighed, bringing one of his hands up to sweep his bangs out of his face.

He set the papers off to the side, and let his body fall down to his cot with a soft thump.

_I...I don't know what to do. I want to go to the school, because I can only imagine all the things I could learn about magic, all the things it can do, and this new world that I now know that I'm a part of, but I can't trust it._

_I can't trust the Headmaster of this school, or the teachers and other adults that work there, because they're the ones that have been watching me for whatever reason, from the time, the time I was. ...you know what? I think from the time that I was 1, when I was brought to the Dursleys. I think, and I feel that this is more than just a suspicion, and that this is a fact, that they were the ones that brought me here in the first place. And that they brought me here, and kept me here for a reason known only to them, and now they want me to go to their school? That doesn't seem like that'll end well for me._

_My main problem, _Harry thought, staring up at the ceiling, _is that I don't know enough about who they are, why they're interested in me, and this whole magic thing in general. And the only way to find out anything is to go to the school, but that's where the people that I know for sure that I can't trust are._

_Unless, _and here Harry sat up, and he hit himself softly on the forehead for not realizing this sooner, _there is some place other than the school that I can learn all this. There has to be, I mean, they included a list of supplies that the students need to get, and they aren't selling all those things in a school, so there must be a market place, and more than that, towns, and cities, and, and a whole magical world._

_If there are enough magical children for there to be a school to teach them, then they must need places to live. That means that they have their own magical versions of Privet Drive, but better. And if they have houses, then they have places to eat, and parks, and libraries._

_That's right, they must have libraries, and where there are libraries, there is information. And from that information, I can learn everything that I need to know before I go to the school on September 1st. Right now it's July 20th, so I have plenty of time until then. Though it did say that I need to send them an owl with my response by July 31st...so I guess I don't have that much time to actually make my decision, even if I do have time to learn more about everything. Where they expect me to get an owl from is any ones guess, but I'll figure that out later._

_What I need to focus on right now is getting to where ever this magical world is, and soon. But I don't know where to even begin looking._

Harry sighed and let himself fall back down to his cot, his excitement about moving forward diminished by the fact that he didn't even know where he was moving forward _to._

_I really wish that I knew where to go, and that I was there alrea-_

Harry was cut off mid-thought by a strong pulling sensation centered around the center of his stomach. He barely had any time to wonder what was going on, before he was hit with the feeling of what he could only assume what being sucked down a straw felt like, and he disappeared with a loud _bang!._


	8. The Leaky Cauldron

When Harry became aware of himself again, the first thing that he noticed was that he wasn't in his cupboard anymore, and that he felt _sick._

He stumbled around until his back hit a wall, and he braced himself against it.

Harry kept one hand clamped over his mouth because he felt like he was going to throw up, and wrapped his free arm around his waist.

He leaned his head against the wall behind him, and kept his eyes closed.

Harry felt like the ground was spinning around underneath him, and he knew that if he opened his eyes and tried to move around when he felt like this that he would just end up on the floor.

He took a few deep breathes to try and settle himself, and waited until he felt like his normal self again, before opening his eyes.

Harry looked around and saw that he was on a sidewalk. There were cars driving back and forth on the street in front of him, and there were store fronts all along the sidewalk across the street from him.

It looked like a typical busy London street that Harry had sometimes seen on the tv in the Dursley's living room.

The only question, well, that wasn't quite right, Harry corrected himself, one of his more _pressing_ questions was, why was he there, and _I wonder if this is what the snake felt like when I sent it to Brazil._

Harry stepped away from the wall that he was leaning on, and looked to see what was on his side of the street.

The first thing he noticed was that the building he was previously leaning on was called the_ Leaky Cauldron_.

_Now, _Harry thought to himself, _I_ _know that I'm not the person to ask if you want to know about different shops in London, but even I think that that's an odd name. I mean, the only time that I've even seen the word cauldron is in some of the fairytales I've read that have witches making potions...wait. I know that my pow-, my magic I mean, transported me past the boundary around the house based on what I was thinking, and that this place with a name that brings to mind witches and potions is probably connected to magic, but what exactly was I thinking about before I came here?_

Harry turned his head to look up at the sign of the shop he was standing in front of, and a furrow appeared in between his eyebrows as he thought back to what he was thinking about, unbelievably enough, only a few minutes ago in his cupboard.

_I...I was thinking about how I wished I could be someplace where I could learn everything that I wanted, now, and not later, so this place, this Leaky Cauldron might just be the place that can help me get the answers that I need._

Harry took a deep breath in, and let it out again after holding it for a few seconds. Around him, people continued to walk to where they needed to go, avoiding him, which was expected, but also the store, which was well, odd, seeing as all the other stores seemed to have people coming in and out of them, all except this one.

He watched in surprise as a woman who was about to walk pass him started to look over to the sign of the shop, before her gaze simple slid passed it, as if it wasn't there.

Seeing this happen a couple more times finally firmed his resolve to enter the shop. There was obviously something different about it, otherwise his po-, magic, wouldn't have dropped him off there, and the reaction of the people walking past it only seemed to prove that.

Though given that Harry could see it just fine, maybe only people like him could see it? Only, what did the letter say again? Witchcraft and Wizardry, so witches and wizards?

He decided to just go for it, and pushed open the door and made his way inside.

Harry let the door fall closed gently behind him, but barely noticed it in his shock as he saw people dressed in long flowing pieces of clothing, that at first glance, looked to be dresses in various colors, the most predominant color being black.

He was tempted to just let his observation end there and walk out, satisfied that his curiosity was sated with the knowledge that he had simply walked into a shop where everyone wore dresses, which, while curious enough on its own, didn't seem like the place his power-no, his _magic_ wanted him to be, if it weren't for the fact that, in addition to every person in the store wearing the odd dresses, (and on second thought, since they _were_ all the same, maybe it was instead a type of coat that everyone was wearing? Harry couldn't see any other reason why a bunch of people would be dressed the same, though everyone wearing the same coat was equally odd…), nearly every person in the store had on black pointy hats, black pointy hats that, strangely enough, seemed to fit the description of the hat worn by almost all the witches in the stories he had read.

It was this sight that convinced him to stay, and between one blink and the next, all the noise of the store he was in came rushing back to him, and he stepped back instinctively, back hitting the door, as all at once the sound of people eating and drinking and talking about odd things that he has never heard before, like Quidditch and The Daily Prophet, slammed into him like a wave.

There were tables and chairs in the place he was in, and the oddly dressed people were gathered around the tables eating, drinking, and talking in groups of three and four, two groups of three, one of four, and two people sitting by themselves.

At the table closest to Harry, a man was sitting by himself with a cup of tea the only thing on the table, and a newspaper in his hand. The man turned a page in the newspaper, and from where he was standing Harry was able to see that the picture on the page facing him was...was _moving_!

Harry felt his eyes widening in surprise, and he took a step forward to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him in the dim lighting of the Leaky Cauldron. He took a few more steps until he was close enough to touch the table with his hands and saw that yes, the picture really _was_ moving. The caption under the picture declared the moving figure to be a Mr. Gilderoy Lockhart, and as he watched, Lockhart seemed to wave at him every few seconds, each wave followed by the flash of what looked like cameras going off.

Harry blinked in surprise, and felt a smile break out on his face, one big enough to rival that of the man who continued to smile and wave at Harry from his place in the newspaper.

Here was Harry's second concrete evidence that the world of witches and wizards really did exist, and that he wasn't alone in possessing the power that he had.

He started to giggle, the urge brought on by the feeling of elation the discovery brought to him, but he had to quickly slap his gloves covered hands onto his mouth to stifle the sound when the man holding the newspaper started to move it to the side to get a glimpse of who was laughing so close to his table.

Harry waited with bated breath as the man stared straight at where he was standing, and time seemed to stop until the man's gaze simply slid past the spot where he was, and seemed to look right past him as the man's gaze continued to sweep the area in front of his table.

After a few more seconds of this, the man huffed out a breath and brought the newspaper back to its previous position in front of his face.

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief before slowly lowering his hands from his mouth. He was lucky that his shadow power was still going strong, and he made a note to himself to remember to make as little noise as possible.

It was quite frankly a miracle that no one noticed him when he came in through the entrance, but he couldn't count on his good luck to hold out forever, so he had to make sure to reserve his excitement for after he left this place.

Harry looked around the room again from his position at the front of it, and decided to head to the table closest to him, but farther into the room which had a group of three women dressed in the odd coat/dress things in the colors of dark green, light blue, and the more common black.

The women were all talking happily, and Harry decided that since he was in this magic food store already, he might as well try to pick up as much information as could about the magical world from the people all around him, freely providing it.

He slowly walked over to the table, careful not to bump into anything, or make any noise.

Harry made his way to a spot standing behind the woman dressed in light blue, and waved a hand at the woman dressed in black sitting across from her, just to make sure that she couldn't see him. She didn't, and continued to talk to the woman across from her, as if nothing strange had happened.

Harry smiled once to himself, a small one that barely turned up the corner of his lips, and tuned in to the conversation going on between the two women, with occasional remarks being thrown in by the woman in green.

Apparently, the woman in blues daughter had just received her Hogwarts letter as well, and that the woman and her daughter would be getting her supplies from Diagon Alley later in the week, and would they like to come?

Harry felt the smile on his face return, but this time bigger. He kept one ear focused on the conversation happening in front of him, while the rest of his concentration was focused inward.

_So here I have my third piece of evidence, _Harry thought to himself, _first was my own Hogwarts letter, second was the newspaper with the moving picture, and third is this woman talking about how her daughter is also going to Hogwarts, and I guess another piece of evidence would be the Leaky Cauldron, as this is obviously a place where magical people can come to eat, and drink, and talk._

_Now I just need to find this_ _Diagon Alley place, since it seems like it must be the market place that I knew this magical world had to have, because how else would I get the supplies listed in the letter?, and since the woman in blue talked, and was even continuing to talk about how she was going to go there to get her daughter her supplies for Hogwarts, it probably is._

_Diagon Alley is most likely the place that I need to go to try and learn more about this wizarding world, Hogwarts, and Albus Dumbledore._

Harry noticed the conversation seemed to end between the three women, as they all gathered themselves together to stand up and leave, each woman dropping a few large silver coins onto the table after they all stood up, and the table gave off a soft blue glow before the coins all disappeared.

_I guess that must be the money in this world, though what an odd way to pay for a meal! You just drop your money on to the table and then, poff! It's gone! Though I wonder what stops someone from just not paying…_

Harry noticed that the woman in blue was about to back up into him , so he quickly and quietly moved out of the way of the leaving women, and was just about to make his way to the table on the other side of the room that had the only group of four, two men and two women, all dressed in black aside from one of the men, when he noticed that instead of heading towards the door that he had come in from, the women were heading towards a propped open door in the back of the store that seemed to open up into an alley, with a brick wall facing the inside of the Leaky Cauldron.

_Well, that's odd, _Harry thought as he followed behind the three women, making sure to keep a good distance between them, _why would they be heading out a back door instead of the front?_

_I'll just follow them until they leave, just so I can find out what they're doing, and then I'll go back to that other table, _Harry decided, and then he did just that, slipping into the small space behind the propped open door, his dark clothes helping him blend into the shadow behind the door, making it so that even if everyone could see him normally, they wouldn't be able to see him then, with his hair hiding what little of his skin wasn't hidden by his clothes.

He turned his head to follow the women as they made their way into the alley, and stopped in front of the brick wall.

Harry looked through the little space provided by where the hinges allowed the door to open, and saw the woman in black, who was at the head of her little group, take something out of the pocket of her dress/coat that looked like a pretty pale brown stick with a pointed end and black handle. The woman raised the arm holding the stick, and then started tapping on different bricks in a pattern that seemed familiar to her.

And before he was able to question why the woman thought tapping on bricks was a good alternative to simply leaving through the front door, something amazing happened.

Harry watched in surprise as after doing this for a few seconds, the woman stepped back, and the brick wall, the brick wall seemed to _open_ _up_, all the bricks folding back on themselves with a small grinding noise.

Harry couldn't help but gasp, the small sound hidden under the grinding of the bricks as before his very eyes a new world seemed to open up, and for a brief moment in time, the air seemed to be filled with a sense of happiness, and wonder.

He strained his head forward to try and see more, but after experiencing what he just _knew _was a tiny glimpse of the colorful world behind the wall for what felt like just a second, the group of women walked through the brick wall and disappeared into the other side , the wall closing back up before he could even blink.

_That... that was amazing! I can't believe that right before my eyes the wall...the wall just opened up! Just like that! I guess that's why they didn't head towards the front door, they didn't need to, and who knows if they even entered through it in the first place. Now I understand why my magic brought me to the Leaky Cauldron, it's because it is a place for magical people to eat, and also an entrance to the magical world!_

After checking to make sure that no one else was about to approach the door, Harry slipped out from his place behind the door, and made his way into the alley.

He cautiously approached the brick wall, and pushed his hands against it to see if it would move, and rather unsurprisingly, it didn't. The bricks beneath his hands were cool and solid, and didn't budge an inch, no matter how hard he pressed on them.

Harry rested his forehead against the wall for a second, and sighed.

_Well, I didn't think that it would that easy, but at least I have it a shot,_ he thought to himself, pushing back off the wall.

Harry took two small steps back and simply looked at the wall and realized, to his dismay, that one, even if he tried to get through the wall through the same method that the woman used that he would need a stick, probably a special stick, which he had no idea on even how to go about getting, and two, he, unfortunately enough, wasn't _tall_ enough to reach the bricks that the woman had hit.

_This is just... just a minor setback, _Harry thought to himself, _since I can't get through the brick wall on my own, I just going to have to wait out here until someone else decides to leave, so that I can just slip in with them._

_All the answers to my questions are right here in front of me, I can just feel it, and I'm not going to let this opportunity slip between my fingers. I'm going to wait here, no matter long it takes, and I am going to in, because regardless of whether or not this is the entrance to Diagon Alley, I know that at the very least, this is an entrance to the wizarding world, and therefore, the place that I need to be._

Fortunately, Harry didn't have to wait long before a man came out, the same man that he had first seen reading the newspaper.

And just like the woman before him, the man reached into the pocket of his dress/coat and pulled out a stick, this one being a more reddish-brown and longer than the woman in black's, with a dark brown handle, and a more rounded looking tip.

Harry moved so that he was standing right next to the man, on the side of him that was holding the stick so that he could get a closer look at the secret behind opening the entrance, though he made sure not to stand so close that the man's sleeve had any chance of touching him.

Harry watched as the man raised his arm up, and tapped the bricks with it in a sequence, three taps up, and then back down to where he started, with four taps to the right, one to the left, and three down from where he started again, though in the opposite direction from the first three taps up, and after he did that, Harry was greeted, once again, by the sight of the bricks falling away and folding back in on themselves.

The entrance way opened back up, but this time Harry was able to experience it first hand, and a warm gust of wind followed behind the last brick folding away, and he was once again welcomed by a feeling of happiness, and what he can only describe as...as _magic _in the air.

He can see what looks to be hundreds people dressed in those same odd dress/coats, a dizzying array of brightly colored store fronts, along with pretty silver and gold things flying around in the air, and that's only what he could see from the entrance!

Harry was filled with a sudden rush of happiness and excitement, and he could feel his magic responding in kind, warming him up from the inside.

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw the man he was standing next to start to walk forward, and he realized that his entire review of the world behind the wall must have only taken a few seconds.

Harry hurried to follow after the man, and with his eyes practically glowing from how happy and excited he is, took his first steps into the magical world, what he hopes might be Diagon alley, and what he most definitely knows is the start of a new, hopefully brighter, chapter of his life.


	9. Chance Meeting

Harry stepped through the wall, and walked into what could only be described as a completely magical world. And it was the strangest thing, but as soon as he stepped through he felt energized, wide awake, and, just, well, happy, leaving him in an overall good mood.

The air was filled with happy chatter and pretty colored things zooming all over the place, some getting close and just managing to not touch him. Adults and children, almost all of them dressed in the odd coat/dress things were walking around and entering different shops, shops with some of the strangest names that Harry had ever seen.

_This looks like it might just be that Diagon Alley place that the woman in blue was talking about, _Harry thought, looking at the sights all around him.

Just from where he was standing, in the spot in front of where the wall closed up behind him, Harry could see a place called a cauldron shop, with big round pots that must have been cauldrons, displayed in the front windows, a place called _Apothecary_ that had various little jars and vials displayed in its windows, there were even things tied up in strings along the top of the window that looked like dried herbs, and a place called _Flourish and Blotts_ that had...books displayed in its windows!

Harry's eyes widened in surprise and delight, and he immediately made his way over to the place that looked like a book store, despite its odd name, sliding his way through the crowd of people, his hair trailing behind him.

It seemed to take forever, but soon enough Harry stood in front of the store proclaiming itself to be _Flourish and Blotts, _the name written out on a sign in fancy script, and Harry even saw as he got closer to the store front that the bookstore was offering a deal for all of the first year Hogwarts students, a sign in the window stating that all the books would be sold for 4 galleons in honor of the savior of the wizarding world starting his first year at Hogwarts.

_Savior of the wizarding world? Now, that sounds like something straight out of one of my fairytales. I guess this world really is as magical as it seems, though all the people and things around me are more than enough proof of that_. _I wonder who this savior is that he's young enough to be starting school the same time as me..., well it doesn't really matter, I can wonder about that later, right now, all the I need to be focusing on is learning as much about this magical world and Albus Dumbledore as possible, and this looks like the place to do that._

With that, Harry waited until he saw someone entering the book store to slide in behind them, and took his first steps inside of a magical bookstore.

The little bell above the door rang out merrily as the person in from of him walked in, Harry following close behind.

Inside the store was brightly lit, with oddly shaped crystals in all different colors hanging down from silver thread attached to the ceiling, the light from the little floating glowing orbs illuminating the shop reflecting off of them and dazzling Harry.

To his left there was a large counter taking up most of the wall, a man with dark brown hair and blue eyes hidden behind square framed glasses stood behind it, accepting books and coins from the short line of people in front of the counter and…and shrinking the books with a tap of a dark brown stick, similar to the ones he had seen in the hands of the woman in black, and the man who opened the brick wall for him.

_Those sticks are really something,_ Harry thought, finally tearing his gaze away from the counter, _they can open magic passageways, shrink books, and who knows what else! I really need to find out what they are, though I have a strong suspicion that they're connected to the magic inside of every…witch and wizard. I can't think of any other reason why a simple piece of wood would be able to do the things that I've seen._

Harry moved further into the store and saw that just beyond the counter the walls seemed to close in again, as if that was all there was to the store, except that instead of the wall closing smooth, there was an arch directly in the middle of the wall, and as Harry stepped close to inspect it, he saw that there were five steps leading down from the part of the store that he was standing in, and into another part of the store that looked like it held a seemingly endless maze of bookcases.

Harry slowly walked down the steps, a sense of awe filling him at the sight of so many books, far more that he thought even the library back at the Dursleys held, all contained in a space that in no way should have been as big as it was, the first part of the book store, and even the store front giving no indication as to how big it truly was inside.

He honestly didn't know where to start, and as he stepped off the final step, his beat up trainers sinking slightly into the plush red carpet, he considered the fact that since he needed to know everything, anywhere was a good place to start.

With that thought, Harry walked forward towards the slightly darkened maze of bookcases, the floating orbs of light that were now within reaching distance not enough to light up all the shadows provided by the towering bookcases.

Though as Harry neared one of the floating orbs, he hesitantly reached out his hand to touch it. _It's warm,_ he thought, surprised by the slight warmth the ball of light gave off, warmth that could be felt even through his gloves, and despite the fact that the orb didn't seem to be solid, he was able to cup it in his hands and hold it close to his chest as he walked near the closest wall of bookcases.

He quickly scanned the titles of the books on the bookshelf that were at his eye level, and reluctantly let go of the ball of light to choose three books. The ball of light hovered in front of his chest for a moment, before moving to float over his right shoulder, and Harry felt a little burst of happiness at the thought that the light had decided to stay with him.

Turning his eyes away from where they were fixated on the light hovering over his shoulder, Harry made a note to remember to make his own the next time he was somewhere with no light, as the light seemed extremely useful, and stepped forward to remove the three books that had caught his eye.

From the bookshelf he pulled down _A Muggleborns Guide to the Wizarding World_ , because even if he didn't know what a muggleborn was, a guide was a guide, and something that he desperately needed, and next was _Who's who, A Self-updating Record of Important Figures in the Wizarding World,_ because Harry knew, or at least hoped, that being the headmaster of a magical school was enough to make someone an important figure, so that he would be able to find out more about who Albus Dumbledore really was, besides someone who wanted to ruin his life by forcing him to stay with people that hurt and hated him, of course.

Harry hesitated before reaching for the next book, and just ran his fingers down the words on its spine once before resting his fingers at the top of it, poised to pull it down.

The last book he chose because it, well, had his name in the title. Harry slowly pulled the book down, and turned it over to its cover, and saw that there, written in gold lettering on a bright red cover, were the words that he had almost believed were a trick of the light. _Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived: A Brief History._

_How, and more importantly why, is my name on a book here, in the wizarding world? This doesn't make any sense. I'm no one, just one kid out of who knows how many that possess magic, and somehow there's a book about me? And what in the world is a boy-who-lived? Maybe...no, I must be wrong. This book is probably just about someone else that I just so happen to share a name with. I mean there are hundreds of thousands of people in the world, probably more than that even, and Harry is a pretty common name, so it's not unbelievable that there is another wizard named Harry that this book is about, and the same could be said about the last name Potter..._Harry tried to convince himself, but no matter how much he thought about how the book couldn't be about him, he didn't really believe it, and he had a bad feeling that he was right not to.

_Well, there's only one way to find out. I have to read this book before I can even contemplate reading the others. _Harry decided, and he looked around, before deciding to just sit on the floor where he was, the light orb following him as he settled down with his back leaning against the bookcase, setting the two other books on the floor next to him.

He curled into as small a shape as possible, and set the book down so that it was leaning against his folded legs, close to his face.

Harry took a deep breath in to settle himself, and let it back out, opening the front cover of the bright red book as he did.

* * *

Harry closed the cover of the last book, _A Muggleborns Guide to the Wizarding World,_ and set it off to the side on top of the others before curling his legs in close to his chest, wrapping his arms around them and resting his chin on his knees.

He sighed before closing his eyes, the floating orb now a dull grow behind his closed eyelids. He had just finished reading all three books that he had chosen, and he felt slightly overwhelmed by everything that he had just learned. He needed to just try and relax, and organize his thoughts before he did anything else.

_Ok, so apparently that book really was about me, the fact that it had the parents of the boy the book is about listed as being James and Lily proved it, because regardless of how much I didn't want to believe that that was true, it's too big of a coincidence that the parents of the boy the book is about were named James and Lily, just like mine, and I guess I have to thank the Dursley for letting me know their names, though they were completely wrong about how they died._

_No, they didn't die because of a drunk driving accident, they died because apparently someone who is only referred to as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, or You-Know-Who, though I don't know who, killed them because they were fighting against him in some type of magical war. He killed them, and tried to kill me with something called the Killing Curse, which, for whatever reason, didn't kill me, and instead killed him, leaving me with the silvery lightning bolt scar on my forehead, the one that I always wondered about, the title of the Boy-Who-Lived, since I'm the only one to survive that curse, at least according to the book, making me the savior of the wizarding world because I somehow killed someone when I was one years old._

_My life is literally a fairytale, and a ridiculous one at that, complete with dead parents, magic, all different kinds of magical creatures and beings, and a sad, tragic back story._

Harry moved his head so that it was now cradled in his arms, his face tilted towards his lap, and sighed again.

He really didn't understand why he was considered a savior of anything, considering all he did that Halloween night that it happened was not die. And he was sad to learn about how his parents had really died, though since it was their decision to fight in a war, they must have known that it was a very real possibly that they would die while doing so, and he didn't want to admit it, but he hated them a little for not considering that before they had him. They knew that if they died they would be leaving a child behind, leaving _him _behind, but they decided to have him anyway and continue fighting in the war. They chose the war over him, and it was their fault that now he was all alone.

Harry hugged his knees to himself tighter. Weren't parents supposed to love their children above all else? Even though Vernon and Petunia hated him, they always spoiled Dudley and told him how much they loved him, and it was obvious to anyone looking at the three of them together that they would do anything for Dudley, wouldn't give him up for the world, so why couldn't his parents have been the same? Why couldn't they… why couldn't they have loved him enough to stay with him?

Harry felt his magic warming him up from the inside in an attempt to cheer him up, and he squeezed himself tighter for a second more, before letting his legs unfold out in front of him.

He ran his hands over his face, and into his hair, letting his fingers trail through it until he touched the floor where his hair was pooled up on either side of him, before giving his head one good shake.

His magic was right, there was no reason for him to dwell on the past because it would only make him sad, and he couldn't change it. It was better that he just focus on the present, even though it arguably wasn't much better, what with him apparently being famous because of something that he had no control over that happened when he was a baby, he had Albus Dumbledore, the "Leader of the Light", whatever that was, trying to mess with him because he was considered some sort of savior, (though that being the case, wouldn't it make more sense for Dumbledore to try and keep him happy and safe?) no place to live, since he was definitely not going back to the Dursleys, and no money.

_Though my parents were magical, and the Potter family is supposed to be really old and rich, and since I'm the last Potter, maybe money was left for me in the wizarding bank, Gringotts._

_I am so happy that I picked up that guidebook, otherwise I would have no idea what to do, or where to go right now,_ Harry though as he picked up the books beside him and moved to stand up,_ and_ _I'm even more happy over the fact that I have my shadow power, since it's definitely something that will come in useful if I want to have any chance at living an unbothered and unnecessary fame free life_

Harry was brought out of his thoughts when someone bumped into him, throwing him off balance enough that the books in his arms fell to the floor with a series of soft _thumps!_

He automatically knelt down to the ground to retrieve the dropped books, only to freeze when a pair of black shoes interrupted his view of the floor in front of him, and he realized, to his horror, that someone had bumped into him, which meant that at this very moment, someone could _see him._

Harry heard a throat clear above him, and with his arms firmly wrapped around the one book that he had managed to pick up, slowly let his head rise, taking in the person before him as he did.

The dark shoes led to an equally dark pair of pants beneath a black coa- no, robe, (he had just learned that they were called _robes), _at the top of which was, as one would expect, a head.

Standing in front of Harry was a boy that looked to be about his age. He had dark brown skin, hazel eyes, soft looking wavy black hair, and he was looking down at Harry with a look of surprise.

Their eyes met, and Harry was struck by the feeling that he knew the boy, something about him seeming familiar, but that didn't make any sense. Maybe he had seen him earlier when he was walking around?

Harry was startled out of his thoughts when the boy went down on one knee and started to gather up the other two books that were still laying on the ground between them.

"My apologies, miss, I didn't see you there, are you alright?" the boy asked, his words carrying an accent that Harry couldn't place as he finished gathering up the other two books into his arms.

Harry, still feeling confused over the odd sense of familiarity he felt just continued to stare at the boy, noting in the back of his mind that even though they were both kneeling on the ground, he still had to look up to meet his eyes.

He snapped out of it when he noticed the boy was still looking at him, patiently waiting for him to say something.

Harry was tempted, _extremely_ tempted to just try and escape the situation as quickly as possible, but if Harry had learned one thing from the Dursleys, and Dudley in particular, it was how not to act to the people around him, which meant that he hated to be loud and obnoxious, and most of all rude, so if he left this situation without at least saying thank you, this boy and how he had reacted towards him would weigh on his mind for the rest of the day.

Though, that being the case in no way meant that Harry wasn't going to try and get out of this situation as quickly as possible, and what better way to do that than to pretend that he couldn't speak English? He didn't learn how to speak the few languages that he could for a reason like now, but that didn't mean that they couldn't come in handy anyway, and maybe in the confusion of him not speaking English he could just slip away...

_Well, here goes nothing._

_"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're saying." _Harry said in Italian, surprising the boy completely, judging by the look on his face.

_And_, Harry thought, _the bright side to all of this is, considering everything that I read about who I'm supposed to be, speaking Italian only sets me further apart from the Boy-who-lived, which is a plus in my book. Now all I need to do is try to escape from this situation, and see if my shadow power will still work on people that have already seen me if I manage to get far enough away from them._

As he was thinking this though, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew the boy, even though he obviously didn't.

The boy had stood up while he was thinking, and after moving the two books so that they were cradled in his left arm, reached his right hand out towards Harry.

**_"_**_Well then, this is your lucky day miss, seeing as I can speak English and Italian, though I do wonder what you were doing looking at books in English if you can't speak the language." ,_ the boy said, one eyebrow lifting up in amusement as one side of his mouth tilted up in a small smirk.  
Harry's face must have plainly showed his surprise, as the boy simply chuckled at him before extending his arm out further to Harry.

**_"_**_Are you going to sit on the floor all day, or will you allow me to help you up?",_ the boy asked, and Harry hesitated for a few moments, because this was the first, or, well, second time that he was about to touch someone in three _years_, but the boy seemed nice enough, and considering that he kept calling Harry miss meant that he wouldn't be connecting him with the boy-who-lived anytime soon, so with a deep breath in, and then out, Harry took the boys hand and let himself be pulled up, only as Harrys hand met the boy's the feeling that had been constantly nagging at him grew stronger, and judging by the look of confusion on the boy's face, he must have felt it too.

_"__Have we met before?"_

"_No...no, I'm sure that we haven't.' _Harry told the boy, his voice raising barely above a whisper. It seemed that speaking to snakes was a lot different from talking in regular human languages, and his voice seemed to reflect the fact that he had gone almost three years without talking, though his voice was never particularly loud to begin with...

_"__I see…how odd though, it feels like I know you from somewhere." _The boy said, looking at Harry with narrowed eyes, his brow furrowing in annoyance as he muttered the last few words to himself.

Harry silently agreed, because it _was_ odd, especially since the boy felt the same way he did. It was like, strange as it may sound, they were familiar strangers.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he looked down and noticed that the boy was still touching him. A strange anxiety filled him at the sight, the gloves not helping as he felt a sudden need to get away. He pulled his hand away, or tried to at any rate, as the boys grip on his hand was as firm as when he had first grabbed onto Harry to help pull him up.

Harry frowned at the boy as he continued to try and pull his hand out of his grasp, and the boy finally clued into what was going on, letting go and making Harry feel better the instant he was no longer being touched. The boy was still frowning, though it seemed to be directed more at himself now.

_"__Here." _

Harry took back the offered books, being careful to make sure that they didn't touch, and nodded his head in thanks. He was about to walk away, still feeling a little uneasy, when he noticed the boy opening his mouth as if he was about to say something, before closing it again with a sigh, closing his eyes and running his hand through his hair in a gesture that again, was oddly familiar.

He watched the boy for a few seconds longer, and in that time he seemed to reach some type of decision because he straightened up and looked straight at him.

_"__Correct me if I'm wrong, but you seem as though you're new to London. I have some time to kill and if you want, I can answer any questions you might have to make up for just now and earlier." _the boy said.

_"__Why?"_

_"__Why not? Like I said, I have some time to kill, and judging by those books it seems like the opportunity will be worth your while, but its up to you."_

Harry was just about to refuse, because kind as the offer was, they didn't _actually_ know each other despite feeling like they did, not to mention being out in the open where anyone could see him was starting to make him feel uncomfortable, no matter how it didn't seem like there was anyone else down in this part of the store with them.

He almost refused, but then he realized that this was a perfect opportunity for him to ask questions and have them answered as they came to him by someone obviously familiar with the magical world, who was willingly offering up his help, and who also didn't recognize him as the boy-who-lived, though his hair covering his scar was probably helping with that. And even if worse came to worse and he needed to get away, he knew his magic was more than capable of providing a suitable distraction.

_"__Thank you for the offer, and yes, I would appreciate it if you did, but I can't stay for long."_ Harry said, because perfect opportunity or not, he couldn't spend all day in the store. He had to go to the bank, and he wanted to explore more of what he now knew to be Diagon Alley.

_"__That's fine. I also have to leave in a little while anyway, so it all works out. There's a place to sit down a little further in. We can talk there._" The boy said, walking a few steps in front of him before pausing to make sure that he was following.

They were walking in silence for a few minutes, Harry trailing his fingers along the spines of the books on the shelves closest to him as they did, barely resisting the urge to pull down book after book to add to the small pile of three in his arms.

_"__You know, you're surprising hard to keep track on, especially considering that you're right next to me." _The boy said, looking thoughtful as he led them around a corner, breaking the comfortable silence they had fallen into.

_"__Mm-hmm," _was all Harry said or rather hummed in response, shrugging his shoulder when he turned his head to see the boy watching him.

The boy didn't seem like he was surprised by his lack of a real response, turning away with a small snort of amusement. Before long the rounded one more corner which opened up into the seating area the boy had mentioned.

They were now deeper into the store, in a place that had two small round tables, and a couple of chairs and small couches scattered around. It looked like a place that was meant for people to sit down and read if they wanted.

They weren't the only ones there, the only other person being a woman who was standing next to one of the couches, a book in hand who looked up at their arrival, but only seemed to notice the boy, her gaze sliding past Harry like the man who was reading the newspaper earlier.

The boy didn't stop walking until he got to one of the chairs that were set across one of the two tables and a small fluffy blue couch. He sat in the chair, leaving the couch free for Harry which he gladly took, sinking into the soft cushion with a small smile at how nice it was. He put the books on the table, and looked up to see the boy looking for something in one of his pockets.

He finally pulled out a small clear case that had what looked like shiny pineapple pieces inside of it. The boy opened that case and ate one, before putting it on the tables besides the books. With that done he looked up to where he thought Harry was, his eyes scanning the couch and landing just to the left of him.

Seeing this, Harry was happy to know that yes, his shadow power did work on people who had just been looking at him, as long as they were distracted by something and took their attention off of him.

Harry decided to do the polite thing, and made sure to make noise as he brought his legs onto the couch so that they were bent next to him. With how small he was, he had room to spare even with his entire body on the couch, so he made himself comfortable under the boys expectant and curious stare, the boy himself leaning back in the armchair with one leg crossed over the other.

_"__You can have one if you want."_

_"__No thank you." _Harry said.

_"__Your loss, but if you change your mind they're there." _The boy shrugged, reaching over to take another for himself,_ "By the way, my name is Blaise, Blaise Zabini." _he finished, watching Harry closely, scrutinizing him as he offered up his name, like he was waiting for Harry to react.

When he didn't though, he eased back. _"You don't have to tell me yours if you don't want, but it wouldn't hurt to have something to call you."_

_"__You can call me whatever, I don't really care."_ Harry said, interested in what Blaise would come up with having just met him.

_"__Green eyes it is then" _Blaise said, and coming from him, for whatever reason, it sounded familiar_. _Blaise frowned for a second before he quickly fixed his face, but Harry saw it, and couldn't help but think that he had probably felt the same thing that he had._ "But before you ask your first question, I just have to ask again, are you sure that we've never met before?"_

With what had just happened, Harry was surprised at all that Blaise would ask that question again, but regardless of how much it felt like he knew him, he knew, for sure, that they had never met before, so all he could do was shake his head no.

_"Positive."_

_"Maybe my headache's just messing with me,_" Blaise mumbled under his breath, rubbing his temple before speaking louder,_ "but whatever. You can ask your questions whenever you're ready, but try not to take too long."_

Harry thought for a second before deciding to ask a question that would hopefully solve one of his more immediate problems.

_"Ok, are there any places to stay here in Diagon Alley?"_

_"There's the Leaky Cauldron, and down Knockturn I think there's the Dark Moon Inn and the Fairy Hole. I suggest the Leaky Cauldron if you're looking for somewhere to stay, if only because it's relatively safer than the other two." _Blaise stated, counting each one off with his fingers, before reaching over to take another one of the pineapple pieces, drawing Harrys attention to the book they were resting on, the book about him which immediately brought to mind another question.

_"I'll keep that in mind, thanks. Now, do you know who You-Know-Who is?"_

_"He's a dark lord who fought a war to try and purge Britain of all muggleborns, muggles, and anyone else he considered to be in possession of inferior blood. A fool who preached pureblood supremacy when no one even knows if he himself was one." _Blaise said, expression bored, but mouth twisted in distaste.

_"Why is he called You-Know-Who though? And you said he fought in a war, but who was he fighting against?"_

_"I think my mother said that it was because his name carried a taboo on it that would let his Death Eaters, his people, find whoever said it, and the one that he fought against was Albus Dumbledore, the famed leader of the light, but for all his supposed power he was never able to defeat him. The one who was supposedly responsible for that was Harry Potter, a boy that Dumbledore proclaimed to be the savior of the wizarding world."_

_"You said supposedly, you don't think he did it?" _Harry asked, the mention of Dumbledore's name automatically making him feel suspicious about the whole thing, because the book talked about how he was supposed to be a savior of the wizarding world, which one sounded ridiculous, and two didn't make any sense, because what could he have possible done to warrant being called that? Not to mention the fact that learning that Dumbledore was the reason why everyone thought that didn't make him feel good, at all.

_"Well he was 1 at the time," _Blaise said, shrugging,_ "and I seriously doubt that he was capable of somehow performing magic, much less magic strong enough to defeat a dark lord, self-proclaimed or not, when one of apparently the greatest wizards of our time couldn't. And even though You-Know-Who definitely disappeared that night, no one knows what really happened except that Harry Potter was the only one who survived the attack on his family with only a scar to show for it."_

_"Wait, if no one was there, then how does anyone know what happened or that he has a scar?"_

_"Dumbledore was the one who found him, and the one who told everyone that happened. He might have even been the one to name him the Boy-Who-Lived." _Blaise said, looking at him closely, and Harry realized that he had been leaning forward during Blaise's explanation, his lips turned down in a frown. He leaned back and reached for a piece of his hair, twisting it between his fingers to try and distract himself. Getting worked up now wasn't helping anything, besides making him probably look suspicious.

_"__That's a ridiculous name, and its even more ridiculous that this Dumbledore man would say all that, and that the rest of the world would believe him without proof. Knowing all this though, what do you think of Harry Potter?"_

_"Nothing really. My family is neutral, so they had nothing to do with either side, though my mother thinks that both Dumbledore and You-Know-Who were fools, though in different ways, and equally responsible for everything that went on back then. She says that things were bound to end in disaster either way, and that's it's disgusting what Dumbledore did to the boy, an innocent caught up in his parents war, forced to carry the weight of expectations that being known as the savior carries, along with all the attention, positive and negative that he will now always have to live under, all because of something that someone else said that he can't refute, and is now taken as fact._

_"__My mother hates whenever children are involved in anything, especially when don't have a voice that anyone cares to listen to." _Blaise finsided explaining, and Harry was left feeling a mix of relief and anger. Relief that at least Blaise seemed indifferent about him, and that his mother was able to see everything that was wrong with his situation, making him think of things that he hadn't even considered, and anger that those same things only made him hate Dumbledore more for the role he had played in ruining his life, apparently starting even before he had put him with the Dursleys.

Blaise must have also been able to read the mix of emotions that was probably showing on his face, because he narrowed his eyes at him before asking a question that brought Harry up short and thinking fast to come up with an answer.

_"You know, now I'm curious. Where have you been living all this time that you don't know any of this? I know you've lived in Britain, at least for a few years, your accent gives that away, and I know that you're not a muggleborn."_

_"I'm not, but I was kidnapped from here when I was three, and raised in a forest somewhere in Italy, trapped at the top of a tower that had no doors, and only a window. I just recently managed to escape." _He said, keeping his face as straight as he could while trying to project an aura of sincerity. The story of Rapunzel had just popped into his mind, and knowing that he really didn't have time to think of something else, he just ran with it.

_"__Really" _Blaise said, unfortunately looking like he didn't believe Harry, at all, one eyebrow raised in disbelief, and his voice colored by heavy skepticism.

"Really." He confirmed, barely managing to keep his face straight. He had to turn his head away to give the illusion that he was sad, and cover his mouth when he couldn't contain his smile anymore though, his hair thankfully shielding his face and casting it into shadow.

Harry peeked up to see what Blaise was doing, and saw that he was just opening his mouth to say something, when he was interrupted by a bell suddenly ringing out, it's soft chime slowly growing louder.

It seemed like the noise was coming from one of Blaise's pockets, and he sighed before pulling out what looked like a finally crafted, small, round, handheld mirror. He used the fingers of the hand not holding the mirror to do something to the surface that stopped the chime, and he slid it back in his pocket, standing up as he did.

_"Sorry, but my time's up. You can keep the rest of the candies if you want, I have more." _Blaise said, causing Harry to breathe out a tiny sigh of relief, and look closer at the container that definitely held pineapple pieces, not candy as he registered what was said.

_"Those things are candy?"_

_"Yes, you couldn't tell?"_

_"I've never had candy before, or any types of sweets really, so no."_

_"You've never- so no cakes, pastries, lollipops, chocolate, ice cream?"_ Blaise asked, doing a double take and staring at Harry with and expression that he could only describe as bordering on incredulous horror.

_"Nope." _Harry said, smiling openly now as the expression on Blaise's face only grew worse.

_"That's horrible. I suppose you really were living in a tower. Look, if you're still around Diagon tomorrow I can take you to Florence Fortescue's, it's an ice cream parlor, because this is a problem that needs to be rectified immediately."_

_"That's alright, you don't have to, it's enough that you answered my questions, thank you again for that, by the way." _Harry tried to reassure Blaise, almost laughing at the silly turn their conversation had taken, but the determined glint in Blaise's eyes said that he wasn't going to give up that easily.

_"Fine, but if you change your mind I should probably be back here tomorrow at around three, and even if you don't go with me, you should at least go by yourself. It's unbelievable that you've never had any before, and you should try and fix that problem as soon as possible, especially considering that while not the best, Fortescue's is probably as good as you're likely to get while still staying in London." _Blaise said, shaking his head to himself as he straightened out his robe.

_"I'll think about it, but it really isn't that much of a problem."_

_"It really is, but I have to go. It was nice meeting you Green Eyes." _Blaise said, dipping his head in a farewell nod, and Harry raised his hand to say goodbye, strangely feeling a pang of sadness at Blaise's retreating back

_"You too." _He said softly, but he was sure that Blaise could no longer hear him.

As he walked away, he couldn't help but think that it really was nice to talk to Blaise, not only because that was the first real conversation that he had had in forever, (not counting the snake from the zoo, or his magic, that, while a wonderful friend, wasn't a good conversationalist, or a conversationalist at all, if he was being honest,), and Harry didn't realize how nice it was to simply talk to another person, especially when doing so didn't feel like it was the first time. It felt natural to talk to him, and Harry only just realized that he didn't even blink an eye over Blaise's apparent love of sweets, because he somehow already knew how much he loved anything sugar related.

He got up as well to leave, pocketing the case of candy as he did, and catching sight of the book again, which brought him back to thinking about much more unpleasant things. He might know now why Albus Dumbledore seemed so fixated on him, but that just meant that he had even more reason to be paranoid, since the magical world seemed obsessed with the idea of him being some sort of savior.

Harry knew that everyone usually held some ulterior motive for the things that they did, and that seemed like it would be even truer in regards to him, as he was sure that anyone would jump at the chance to know the "Boy-who-lived, savior of the wizarding world".

Though maybe...maybe if he met people as himself, (which should be too hard, since all anyone knew was that he was supposed to have a lightning bolt shaped scar, which he did, but that was constantly covered by his hair now that it was long enough) and didn't give his name out, he would be able to find people that wanted to know him for himself, and not his fame, people that he might even be able to trust and call friend.

_Because even though I have my magic, talking to Blaise, and simply being around him, made me realize that I don't like the thought of going back to being completely alone._

He walked back to the front of the store, having memorized the way when they were walking, and slipped out the door and back into the lively streets of what he knew now to be Diagon Alley, and headed straight towards the next location on his to-visit list, Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

It was only after he left that he remembered that Blaise had called him miss, and he that he had never corrected him. But Blaise didn't actually think that he was a girl, right?


	10. Revelations in a Whisper

Harry remembered that the book _A Muggleborns Guide to the Wizarding World_, said the Gringotts was a tall building made out of white marble.

He walked away from _Flourish and Blotts_, and looked around to see if he could spot a building like that, and saw it almost immediately.

Towards the middle of Diagon Alley there stood a very large white building that looked like it extended back a good distance, and split the Alley in half, with Diagon continuing down two separate paths down either side of the building.

As Harry made his way over to the building, he noticed a set of white stairs that lead up to a set of burnished bronze doors, and that above the doors, written in gold letters were the words _Gringotts Bank._

The doors had two very short, odd looking people dressed identically in scarlet and gold, standing on either side of the doors.

He walked up the stairs and pushed on the doors, discovering how heavy they were when he had to push with all his meager strength, just to open up a gap wide enough that he would be able to slip through.

Once he made his way through the doors, he found out that they led into a small entrance hall, at the end of which was another set of doors, in silver this time.

Harry walked over to second set of doors, but when he was getting ready to push them open, he saw that there were words on the door.

Engraved on the silver doors were the words:

**_Enter, stranger, but take heed_**

**_Of what awaits the sin of greed_**

**_For those who take, but do not earn,_**

**_Must pay most dearly in their turn._**

**_So if you seek beneath our floors_**

**_A treasure that was never yours,_**

**_Thief, you have been warned, beware_**

**_Of finding more than treasure there._**

_Well, this is a bank, so it makes sense that they would want to warn people that they shouldn't try and steal from it. _Harry thought, before pushing open the far lighter silver doors.

Behind the doors was a huge marble hall that had enormous golden chandeliers that were brightly lit, and spaced out evenly along the ceiling.

Harry walked through the doors and felt an odd sensation come over him when he did that he had no words to describe.

He stopped looking around the bank and looked over himself to make sure that everything was fine, noticing that nothing was different.

_That must have just been the magic of the bank that I was feeling,_ Harry decided, _the magic that they use to make sure people can't steal things, maybe._

Harry looked behind him and saw that there were two more people that looked like, and were dressed the same, as the ones standing outside by the bronze doors.

Harry looked at them oddly for a second, before he remembered something else that the book said about the bank.

_Didn't the book say that the bank was run by goblins? That must have been what the two people standing outside were, and they're probably guarding the bank to make sure that no one gets away if they manage to steal something._

Harry looked away from the guards, and continued looking over the bank. Along one side of the bank there were long counters with more people that looked like the guards, goblins, stationed behind each one.

There was an opening between each long counter, each opening leading to a door on the wall behind the counters that had more guard goblins standing beside them.

In front of some of the counters there were wizards and witches talking to the goblins, so Harry looked around until he spotted an empty counter.

Harry stood in front of the counter of a goblin that didn't seem like he would be getting customers anytime soon, but before he was able to call out to the goblin to get, his, because he looked like a male, attention, the goblin spoke to him first.

"State your business, wizard." The goblin said, looking down at Harry through the small round glasses perched on the bridge of his nose.

All Harry could do was blink at the goblin in surprise, before he spoke without meaning to, "You can see me?"

The goblin looked down at him in disdain, his lips curled up in a sneer as he leaned further over the counter to get a better look at Harry.

"Of course I can see you, wizard. The enchantments on the bank are strong enough to disrupt whatever illusion or disillusionment you had cast on yourself. Now state your business, or leave." The goblin said tersely, his eyes narrowed down at Harry.

_Enchantments on the bank? So that was how he was able to see me before I said anything. I know that I didn't make any noise coming up to the counter, but it was odd that the man that I passed on my way over here seemed to actually notice me when I walked pass him. And it makes sense that a magical bank would have measures in place to make sure that people can't sneak in and steal the money._

_But that probably means that if I wasn't in the bank then the goblin wouldn't have seen me, or at least I hope so. I mean, the snake at the zoo saw me right away, so I know that my shadow power must not work on animals, but I haven't had the chance to see if it works on magical creatures or beings._

_Well, at least it was good that I learned now that if I enter a place that is specifically enchanted against allowing people to go unseen that my shadow power won't work_. _I have to try and avoid places like that unless I absolutely have to go to them, like now,_ Harry thought, before focusing back on the goblin, who seemed to be getting more annoyed the longer that Harry stood there without saying anything.

_So_ _I_ _guess it_ _doesn't_ _really matter if_ _I_ _talk to him, since he can see me anyway._

_"_Yes, I'm sorry. I just wanted to know if my parents left any money here for me in the bank." Harry said, and the goblins eyes only narrowed further at his words, though he did lean back a bit as he did so.

"Name?" the goblin asked, now seeming slightly appeased as they appeared to finally be moving forward.

Harry looked around him, making sure that no one was near them, before leaning in closer to the goblin and speaking in a voice that was somehow even lower than his normal speaking voice, "Harry Potter".

The goblins eyes widened slightly before he leaned even further over the counter than he had done before, looking Harry up and down, before seeming to focus in on his forehead.

Harry figured that the goblin was trying to look for his apparently infamous lightning bolt scar, so he leaned in closer as well and swept his hair slightly to the side to reveal the small scar over his left eyebrow, though it was faded to the point that it almost blended into his skin, save for the slight silvery sheen it gave off when the light hit it.

The goblin leaned back after he showed him his scar, and Harry leaned back as well, letting his hair fall back to cover the scar.

"Key?" the goblin then asked, and when Harry looked back at him with confusion, the goblin just sighed irritably.

"You need to present the key to your vault so that we may verify your identity, and provide you access to your vaults should you prove to be telling the truth, "the goblin said.

Harry frowned, looking towards the floor. He didn't have a key, didn't even know where he would get it, since his parents weren't alive to give it to him. And he didn't understand why he would need a key to verify his identity, because according to the book that he had read about himself he was the last living member of the Potter family, so it wasn't like there was anyone who could say they were him and get away with it.

And honestly? He doubted that there were any other black haired, green eyed boys who had apparently survived a killing curse running around trying to get inside his family vault, but who knows?

He looked back up to the goblin, and at his irritated expression, hurried to explain his brief pause in the conversation.

"I don't have a key, I've never had a key, and this is the first time that I've ever been inside this bank.", Harry told the goblin, and after he did, a weird expression crossed the goblins face, one that Harry didn't have a name for, but after it did, the goblin motioned to one of the goblins dressed in red and gold standing guard behind him to come forward.

The guard did, and the goblin behind the counter bent down and whispered something in a harsh sounding language into his ear, before the guard nodded and walked away.

"Do goblins have their own language?" Harry asked, leaning forward eagerly. He had never heard anything like the language that the goblin had spoken in before, but he knew that it definitely didn't sound like a human language.

The goblin settled back into his seat and answered simply, "Yes".

Harry was about to ask another question when the goblin behind the counter waved his hand to the side, indicating that Harry should move to the side, and he did, noticing that a woman dressed in a green robe was heading in his direction, though she ignored him, looking only towards the goblin.

The goblin noticed her approaching also, because he narrowed his eyes slightly again, before speaking once quickly to Harry while the woman was still out of earshot.

"I've just sent for Griphook, the manager of the Potter family accounts. He will be here shortly, and will assist you with anything you should need, Mr. Potter. There has been an error on Gringotts part, as you should have been issued a new key once your status as head of your family was confirmed, and we will seek to rectify this matter as soon as possible. Please, wait to the side until he arrives." The goblin said, turning away from Harry to face the quickly approaching woman.

Harry looked away from the goblin now talking to the woman, and settled back to wait for the other goblin.

He didn't have to wait long before a goblin escorted by one of the goblins dressed in scarlet and gold approached him. The guard goblin pointed him out to the other goblin, and went back to standing beside the door, leaving the other goblin to approach him alone.

Harry stood straighter when the other goblin approached him and stopped just in front of him, squinting at him a bit. This goblin was dressed in dark shoes and black pants, and a white shirt with a brown vest on top of it.

"Are you Harry Potter?" The goblin asked.

"Yes, I am." Harry responded, and the goblin huffed a little, staring at him with narrowed black eyes.

"I am Griphook, manager of the Potter family accounts. I understand that you may have some questions and concerns regarding your account, so if you would follow me, we can hopefully get this all settled." Griphook told him, turning around as he did, obviously expecting Harry to follow, and Harry did, keeping close to Griphook, but not too close, walking just to the right, and slightly behind him.

They walked further into the bank and Griphook led them to one of the doors, opening it with a heavy gold key that he pulled out from one of his pockets. They stepped through the door, and everything abruptly got darker.

The hallway behind the door was dimly lit by torches placed evenly along the wall, and Harry heard rumbling in the distance, and he could have sworn that he saw something zoom by to the left of him before his attention was caught by Griphook walking away from him and further down the darkened hall.

Harry hurried to catch up, and they eventually made their way to another door that Griphook opened with yet another key, though this one was silver, and smaller than the other key.

Griphook opened this door, and walked in in front of Harry. Harry walked in after him, and felt another rush of something pass over him, though this time felt different from when he had first entered the bank, lighter somehow.

Griphook watched him for a second, before waving him forward to take a seat at the table in the middle of the room that had two chairs on either side of it, while he went to close the door.

Harry took a seat in the chair closest to the door, and after locking the door, Griphook walked over to the table and took a seat across from him.

He cleared his throat before looking Harry directly in his eyes, folding his hands together on top of the table.

"Name?" Griphook asked again once he had settled himself down, and Harry just looked at him in confusion.

He had just told Griphook his name, so why was he asking for it again?

"Harry Potter, but didn't I just tell you my name? Why are you asking for it again?" Harry asked, to which Griphook simply replied, "Confirmation.", before continuing to speak.

"As I am to understand, you do not have your vault key, and have never been in contact or possession of it, correct?" Griphook asked, and at Harrys nod yes, he snapped his fingers and a small stack of paper appeared on the table on front of him.

Griphook rifled through the stack of paper before looking at one in particular, and pulling it out.

"It seems like you are correct," Griphook said, moving the stack of papers to the side to set the one that he had pulled out down in front of him, before continuing, "It's listed here that your key is in the possession of your temporary magical guardian, Albus Dumbledore. To your knowledge, is this information accurate?" Griphook asked, but Harry couldn't say anything. He honestly had no words for what he had just learned.

How...how could Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, and the person who he very, _very_, strongly suspected was the reason why he was placed and forced to stay with the Dursleys, be some type of temporary magical guardian for him? And why would he have the key to _his_ family vault? The key that. ..that his father or mother had to have had when they died?

"No..."

"No, it is not accurate?"

"No, I mean, no as in I don't have any knowledge about that, but how is that possible? How is he my guardian, and how does he have my key? Shouldn't my key only be in the possession of my parents, and if not them, me?" Harry asked.

"To answer your last question, yes, normally that would be true, and the key would be with you after being passed down from your parents, but, and this is the answer to your first two questions, you cannot be in possession of your key if it is held by the person appointed as your secondary, or temporary magical guardian by your parents, as is the case with Albus Dumbledore." Griphook said, but that left Harry feeling even more confused. Who would have made Dumbledore his guardian? And what proof, if any, was there that this whole thing isn't a lie, and that Dumbledore didn't just steal his key for whatever reason?

"Do you have any proof that shows that he really is my temporary magical guardian?" Harry asked Griphook, his eyes shining with a fierce light. He was going to get to the bottom of this, no matter what.

In response, Griphook went back to the stack of papers and pulled out another one, laying it down on top of the first one and sliding both papers over to the middle of the table, so that they would both be able to see it.

"Yes, and as you can see here, an agreement was signed between James Potter, Lily Potter née Evans, and Albus Dumbledore, stating that in the event your primary guardians should be indisposed, that Albus Dumbledore would be declared your temporary magical guardian, until such a time as his position should be revoked by you, one of your secondary guardians, you reach the age of magical majority, or you are declared fit to be guardian of yourself through the process of emancipation , which is a viable option seeing as, as the last remaining Potter, you are technically Lord Potter, and the head of your house." Griphook told him, pointing to each signature with a long, thin, sharp nailed finger, and then the document as a whole as he finished explaining.

Harry pulled the document closer to his side of the table and read it himself. The document said everything that Griphook had just told him, and at the bottom of the paper were three signatures that were glowing faintly. His father's name, with his mother's right next to it, and underneath both of theirs was Albus Dumbledore's name written out in fancy script, next to a date that read _July 14, 1981_.

He zeroed in on the date, because something about it seemed familiar. Not the whole thing, but just the year 1981. Harry didn't know why that would be familiar to him, seeing as that was just a year after he was born…

Harry stared hard at the paper, and he realized with a sudden jolt why the year felt so familiar to him. According to the book that was written about him, that was the year that his parents were killed by You-Know-Who. If he was remembering correctly, the exact date was October 31, Halloween of that year when the attack happened.

_So Dumbledore decided to sign an agreement to be my temporary magical guardian just 5 months before my parents were killed? That seems really convenient, and suspicion. Why would he decide to do it then, and why would my parents let the headmaster of a school become my guardian? This whole thing doesn't make any sense, but at least now I'll be able to set one thing right. Dumbledore should never have been my guardian in the first place, and now, he won't be any longer._

_And besides, it's not like he's done anything for me these past 10 years, except for apparently putting me with the Dursleys, making sure that I couldn't leave them, inviting me to attend a magical school that he is the headmaster of, and then not bothering to explain any of this to me, while also withholding my vault key from me after becoming my guardian in some suspicious deal._

"I definitely want to revoke it. Under no circumstances do I want Albus Dumbledore as a guardian of me, temporary, magical, or anything, and I don't want him to be informed of me revoking his status, or of anything else concerning me. I would also like to go through the process of emancipation." Harry told Griphook, sliding the paper back over to him before pausing as a thought struck him. How could he be sure that everything that he had just heard was the truth?

He looked back up at Griphook, and asked just that.

"And how do I know that all of this information is true?"

Griphook looked at him with narrowed eyes after his question, before he gave a slight grin in approval, at least, that's what Harry thought it was, since it looked more like Griphook was simply baring his teeth at him.

"There are security and truth spells placed on this room, and the others like it, which ensure that all information spoken or presented in this room is the truth, and that certain measures are taken if lies should be told. I am also bound by a vow of secrecy to only discuss matters concerning the Potter family accounts with those in the immediate Potter family, which, in this case, is only you.

"That's why I asked you for your name again after we entered the room earlier, for confirmation, as I told you. But if me telling you is not proof enough of this, then you can try to speak the lie of something you know to be true, and I will attempt to alter one of the document here in front of me." Griphook said, before snapping his fingers again, though instead of more papers appearing, a large black feather suddenly appeared in his hand.

Harry looked at it oddly and was even more confused when Griphook brought the feather down to the paper about the temporary guardianship, and wrote with it.

_So they write with feathers instead of pens or pencils in the magical world. That is so…strange. I hope I can get used to writing with a feather fast. I'll probably have to practice a lot before I get the hang of it_…Harry thought, getting sidetracked by the sight of the feather pen, though his attention was quickly focused back on the matter at hand when the words that Griphook had crossed out on the document glowed briefly before the ink on them disappeared, as if nothing had even happened.

Harry thought for a second before trying out the spells on the room for himself, deciding to say that the sun was purple, since the sun being yellow was a truth that was plainly obvious to anyone.

"The sun is p-"Harry started to say, before the rest of the last word got caught in his throat. No matter how many times he tried to say that the sun was purple, he was never able to get past the word purple. His lips would form the word, and his throat worked to say it, but the only thing that came out of his mouth was silence, and air.

He stopped after a little while, satisfied that Griphook had told him the truth, but as soon as he did, and he saw Griphook summoning up more paper with a snap of his long, pale fingers, papers that he assumed were needed to accomplish what he said that he wanted, the reality of the situation hit him all at once, and Harry accepted that everything that had only been assumptions about Dumbledore up to this point, were now proven facts.

He now had to think about what all of this meant for him, and his future.

Hogwarts. ..Harry really wanted to go to it because it was, well, it was a magical school, and where else would he be able to go that would be able to teach him magic? But more than that he knew that if he didn't go Dumbledore would probably be able to track him down somehow and make him attend, or do something else now that he had him.

At least if he went voluntarily he might be able to stay under the radar and away from Dumbledore while not drawing too much attention to himself, attention that he otherwise would draw if he didn't attend the school, as was normal and expected of him.

And sure, there were books about all the subjects that he was going to learn, but books could only go so far without the practical application. He didn't want to go to the school, not now that he had concrete proof from the goblins that Albus Dumbledore really was interfering with his life, but he needed the information, the knowledge that he would gain from being taught by actual teachers.

It was just like how he needed to go to school to learn the alphabet, how to string letters into words, before he was able to learn how to read. At the very least, he needed to spend one year at the school, maybe two, so that he would gain a foundation, building blocks in practical magic usage that he would be able to build up from. He couldn't start from nothing, and unfortunately the ground work of his magical education had to be laid in a school led by a man who didn't mean him well, at least for now.

There had to be other magical schools though, or some alternative form of learning for those who couldn't attend school, and while he was at Hogwarts he would be trying to find out what other options, if any, existed for him to continue his magical education away from Dumbledore and whoever he might have working for and helping him.

Everything being as it was though, meant that it would just be easier for him if he could attract the least amount of attention with the actions that he had to do that were absolutely necessary, so that he would be free to work on his real goals without being interfered with because he was under suspicion.

He just had to do the least amount of things necessary to accomplish this so that he could be free to focus on himself, and what he needed, and wanted, because there was no reason why he couldn't have both, and he wasn't about to let Albus Dumbledore stop him.

"Are you satisfied now?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, everything that you asked for can be accomplished with you nulling the guardianship agreement, and seeing as you are the last remaining Potter, and thus the head of the family, your emancipation can be processed immediately with you signing a paper that states that you fully understand your situation, and acknowledge that full responsibility for whatever you do rests on you, as you are assuming total guardianship over yourself. The paperwork will be filed here, along with a copy being placed with the Ministry of Magic. Also, in keeping with your wishes, the only one who will be informed of these changes, or be able to access that they transpired, will be you." Griphook told Harry selecting three documents, before sliding them over to him.

"Why does the Ministry of Magic have to receive a copy?" Harry asked.

"They have to receive a copy as a formality, and to ensure that a legal record is kept that cannot be contested by anyone else. Once you sign these papers, everything will be set in stone, and no one will be able to change that." Griphook explained as he snapped his fingers again, and this time a box appeared on the table.

The box was black, with red designs all along it. It was thin and long, about the size of a shoe box, but thinner. Griphook gave the box to Harry, and he opened it to discover a feather like the one that Griphook was holding earlier, but this one looked completely different. This feather was much more ornate, in burgundy and black, with a very sharp looking metal end.

"This is a Blood Quill, and its use is required when signing, and altering documents such as these. The quill uses your blood as ink, and you will experience a slight pain every time that you write with it, but that will soon fade, along with any marks that should show up." Griphook said, pushing one of the documents closer to Harry, the one that declared Dumbledore to be his magical guardian.

Harry looked at the quill carefully, turning it back and forth in his right hand. The quill didn't look like it would be able to write with his blood and he wondered how that actually worked. He didn't mind the pain part of the explanation, because Harry knew that sometimes a little pain was necessary in order to get the things that you wanted.

"Ok, so what do I do with this paper?" Harry asked, pulling it closer to him, the Blood Quill held over the paper in his right hand like how he would hold a pencil.

"For this paper you need only draw a line through each signature on the document." Griphook said, indicating the line that he had to draw with his finger.

Harry leaned over the paper and gripped the quill with a steady hand. He set the metal end of the quill against the start of his father's name and quickly drew a line through it, feeling an intense pain on the back of his right hand as the line was mirrored there as a line on his skin.

Harry gripped the quill tighter, before slowly loosening his fingers, letting the quill fall to the table. He pulled the glove on his right hand off and looked at the back of it, noticing a slightly raised red line that faded away as he looked at it.

_So this is how it works, _Harry thought, flexing his hand,_ it hurts me in the same way as I write, and it must get the blood that it uses as ink from the wound that it creates. Well, it's not that bad, the pain is temporary, and the wound fades away quickly, so the sooner I finish up, the better._

Harry took up the quill again and quickly finished up with the last two names, watching the back of his hand as he drew out each line in bright red, and saw as a line opened up on the back of his hand before fading away as quickly as it came.

The whole paper glowed faintly blue when he finished and Harry saw that when the blue glow faded, the faint glow that the names on the paper used to have went away with it.

"It's done?" Harry asked, and Griphook nodded before removing that paper, and replacing it with the second one.

"Yes, the blue glow signified that the document accepted your blood, and the agreement is now null." Griphook said before tapping the new paper, "This paper you need only sign your name at the bottom, and you will be officially recognized as Lord Potter and head of your family, freeing you from any restrictions or limitations you may have faced as a minor under the protection of a guardian." He finished.

Harry pulled the paper closer to him and read through it carefully to make sure it would only do what it was supposed to. He wasn't about to sign his name in blood in agreement to something that he didn't fully understand, not when doing so could possibly get him caught in a situation similar to the one he was in now, but everything checked out, and Harry sat back, preparing himself for a pain that he felt would be harsher than when he was just drawing a line.

He was right.

Harry curled his left hand into a fist as he signed his name on the paper. Each letter was carefully carved into his skin and it felt horrible, like knives stabbing into the back of his hand, over, and over, and over again.

It seemed to take forever until he was done, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he finished writing the r of his last name. The blood ink stood out starkly against the white of the paper, and he watched as this paper glowed blue, just like the one before it.

His eyes returned to the back of his hand as Griphook took up the paper to add it to the others, and he noticed that this time, the wound on his hand in the shape of his name took longer to heal than the lines did.

Griphook snapped his fingers again, and this time a small black and white ring box appeared that had golden accents along its sides and a fancy crest on the top of the box.

He set the box to the side though, instead of handing it to Harry, and pushed the final paper towards him.

"With you signing this paper, the vault key in Albus Dumbledore's possession will be removed, and returned here in short order. Is there anything else that you required help with today?" Griphook asked as Harry repeated the process of reading over the paper, before signing his name on it. Harry set the quill on the table and rubbed the back of his still healing hand as he answered Griphook's question.

"Yes, I would like to know how much money I have in my vault, as well as if there is some way to access my money without coming back to the bank every time." he said.

Harry had learned about what type of money was used in the wizarding world and how much each piece was worth, so he knew that he didn't need to go to his vault just to see with his own eyes what he physically owned, he just needed to know the amount, as well as whether or not he had to come back to the bank whenever he needed more money.

"Here is a list of all the current holdings of your family vault, including properties under your possession. You also have this," Griphook said, handing Harry another piece of paper and the ring box, "the Potter family signet ring, worn by each head of house."

_Properties? _Harry thought,_ that's perfect! It completely slipped my mind that I would need a new place to live since I left the Dursleys and don't plan on ever going back, especially since Dumbledore seems to want me to stay there._

Harry looked over the list and saw that besides the rather huge amount of money he now owned, (more money than he could have ever imagined, it looked like the Potter family was _very_ wealthy) he also had two houses, the one that him and his parents lived in in Godric's Hollow, and the Potter Family Main House, a manor house located in Wimbourne.

_Well, I'm definitely not living in the house that my parents were killed in, so that leaves the manor house in Wimbourne, where ever that is. Now all I need to do is find out how to get there._

"Mr. Potter, here is your vault key and a bottomless pouch that is connected to your vault and keyed in to your magical signature. The pouch is warded against theft, and loss, and only you will be able to access your funds from it. Simply put your hand into the bag, imagine the amount that you want, and you will have it. Will that be all for today, or do you need something _else_?" Griphook suddenly said, sounding slightly irritated that they were still here.

Harry looked up from the paper and saw that Griphook was holding out a small deep purple pouch that looked soft to the touch, and had a draw string holding it closed.

He reached his still uncovered hand out to get the pouch, and realized that it really _was_ as soft as it looked. He set the paper back down on to the table and held the pouch in two hands, opening the top with his right hand, and slipping his hand inside.

He imagined that he had 1 galleon in his hand, and just as he thought that, he felt a heavy coin drop into his palm. Harry smiled when he realized that it worked, and he pulled his hand out to look at the coin in his fist.

The coin was gold, and it glinted in the light of the room. Harry turned the coin over in his hand a few times, before returning it back to the pouch.

"Thank you for the pouch, and the key," Harry said, noticing the ornate brown metal key that had made its way over to his side of the table while he was examining the pouch that was apparently bottomless and attached to his magic, "and I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time, but I just need to know one more thing. How would I go about getting to the Potter family manor house?" he continued, standing up as he did.

Harry put the key, ring box, and pouch into one of his pockets, having decided that he really had spent a lot of time in the bank and that he needed to wrap things up so that he could leave and head back to _Flourish and Blotts_ to start looking up whether or not other magical schools existed, and if they did, what he had to do to get into them. Dumbledore might not be his guardian anymore, but that didn't mean that the man reported as being "one of the most powerful wizards alive", would let something like that stop him from continuing to interfere with Harrys life.

Griphook huffed a little, before standing up as well, gathering up the papers spread across the desk before making them disappear with another snap of his fingers.

"You can get to your manor house through the floo network." Griphook explained, and upon noticing Harry's uncomprehending look, huffed again before adding on, "The floo network is a network of connected fireplaces. You throw a handful of green floo powder into a fire place, causing the fire to turn green, and only when this happens can one step into the fireplace while clearly stating where you want to go, and you will arrive at your location." he continued.

"Where would I be able to find a floo connected fireplace?" Harry asked.

It seemed like every second he was learning something new about the magical world, his latest find being that people apparently traveled by fireplace. And magical green fire.

The magical world was ridiculous.

Griphook walked towards the door, motioning for Harry to follow behind him, speaking as he walked.

"Most shops in Diagon Alley contain fireplaces connected to the floo network. A handful of floo powder goes for 2 sickles." Griphook said.

Harry slipped his glove back on to his now healed right hand, and followed after Griphook through the now open door.

He followed behind Griphook in silence as they made their way back the way they came. They exited out of the first door that they came through and were back into the main part of the bank.

"Thank you for your help Griphook." Harry said, and Griphook just nodded to show that he had heard, before he turned around and walked away.

Harry watched him walk off for a moment, before he turned around himself, heading towards the entrance of the bank.

Harry walked out of Gringotts and back into the busy streets of Diagon Alley, and was about to head back to _Flourish and Blotts_ to try and make some headway in learning about magical schooling other than Hogwarts when his stomach reminded him with a painful pang that he hadn't eaten since yesterday, or the day before that when he really thought about it

He didn't have a watch, so he looked up at the sky to try and gauge what time it was, and saw by the quickly darkening afternoon sky that it was probably close to 5, maybe 6, and the day was already half over.

Harry looked in front of him and saw that none of the shops that he had passed by earlier looked like they sold food.

He looked around him, and realized that Diagon Alley was split by the bank and that on both sides of it Diagon Alley continued on two separate paths, one to the left, and one to the right.

Harry decided to turn down the left path and walked down the street. The shops in this part of the Alley were all painted in darker colors than the ones in the main part, and the signs looked old and worn.

The people that he saw all wore black robes, and seemed determined to get where they were going without being stopped.

All in all, the mood in this part of the Alley was more serious and controlled, like the night to the main areas day.

Harry was looking at each shop sign as he passed it by, and he didn't get far down the path before his eyes stopped on one sign in particular.

The shop was painted in shades of black and purple, and the windows of the store front were fogged over. The sign over the top of the door declared the shop to be _Em's Extraordinary Exotic Creatures._

_A magical pet store? They really do have everything here, though I suppose that's it's to be expected that magical people would want magical pets instead of ordinary ones. I know that I came down here to look for food but...it won't hurt to look around for a just a little while. I'll just take a quick peek at what's inside, and then I'll leave. And it's not like I could even stay long if I wanted to. I still need to eat something before I go looking for one of those floo fireplaces, so that I can get to my new home before it gets too late and all the shops close._

It didn't look like anyone was going to be approaching the shop to go inside anytime soon, so he decided to just open the door himself.

Unlike the door to the bookstore, this door opened quietly, and Harry quickly slipped inside.

Inside the store was dimly lit and everywhere Harry looked he saw cages, crates, and glass containers, all containing the strangest creatures that he had ever seen.

There was a small counter against the right wall towards the middle of the shop, and the brown haired woman behind the counter had her head bent down and cradled in one hand, the top half of her body slumped over a book. She didn't seem to have noticed him come in, because she didn't look up.

Harry wandered further into the shop, his eyes roaming over everything, before he came to a sudden stop when his eyes met a pair of violet purple eyes.

He walked towards the small silver cage and bent down to get a closer look at the owner of the eyes in the cage.

The eyes belonged to a small kitten, with sleek, silky looking short black hair. The kitten pushed closer to the bars of the cage as Harry got closer to it, and reached one little leg through the bars towards him, while also letting out a soft, sweet sounding _meow_, and Harry couldn't have stopped his hand from reaching forward if he tried.

He reached his fingers through the bars and ran his hand along the top of the kittens head, passing gently over its little triangle shaped ears. The kitten pushed into the touch, and closed its eyes, starting to purr, and Harry felt his heart just melt at the sound.

The kitten was so small, and beautiful and just...just perfect. Harry had never had any interactions with cats before, so he never really had an opinion about them. He didn't hate them, he didn't love them, he didn't feel anything for them. But now, now he knew that he most definitely loved them, or at least just this one, and the feeling seemed to be mutual.

Harry continued to pet the kitten, and read the little card that was attached to the top of the cage that he had bypassed completely in favor of the kitten.

The card said that the kitten was a boy, 6 months old, and apparently not a cat at all, but a Kneazle hybrid.

_Well, cat, kneazle, it doesn't matter, even though it looks exactly like a cat, except for the eyes, I'm going to keep him. I can't just walk out of here without buying him, who would? And he obviously likes me, and wants to come with me too, otherwise he wouldn't have acted like that towards me as soon as he saw me, which answers the question of whether or not magical creatures can see me._

Harry picked up the cage with the Kneazle in it and carefully carried it over to the counter.

The woman behind the counter was still reading her book, and she didn't look up, not even when Harry was right in front of the counter.

"Excuse me miss, but I wanted to make a purchase." Harry said softly, and the woman finally looked up at his words.

"Oh, I didn't see you there. Hello, I'm Em, what is it that you wanted to buy?" Em asked, and Harry noticed that even though she had mostly lifted her head up, her eyes were still focused on the book she was reading, and she sounded distracted.

"This kneazle." Harry said, lifting the cage up in the air so that Em would be able to see it if she decided to look up.

"Hmm, a Kneazle huh. They make good pets, though only if they like a witch or wizard. They have a very high level of intelligence, are independent and occasionally aggressive, and have an uncanny ability to detect suspicious and distrustful people. They can also safely guide their owners' home." Em said, turning a page in her book.

"Well, he certainly likes me. How much does he cost?" Harry asked, and at that, Em finally looked up.

She had light grey eyes, and a distracted expression on her face, and as Harry looked at her, she pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Oh, him? He's a little devil, never let me get near him. You said he likes you right? I'll give him to you for a discount, Merlin knows if I didn't sell him now I probably wouldn't ever. No one wants to buy a Kneazle that doesn't like them, their appeal is in what they do for you when they do. They make great familiars." Em said, squinting at the Kneazle in the cage in Harry's hand. The kneazle hissed at her when he noticed her looking, and she huffed slightly, before turning back to Harry.

"I'll give him to you for half price, so 65 galleons. You have to leave the cage though. Will that be all?" Em asked, moving her book to the side to make way for the cage that she indicated for Harry to put down.

"You can take him out yourself, but money first." She added, looking at Harry expectantly.

Harry nodded, and then reached into his pocket, feeling around for the bottomless money pouch that he had got from the bank. He touched the opening of the pouch and then stuck his hand in, thinking that he wanted 65 galleons.

Harry closed his hand when he felt coins starting to fall into it, and he pulled his hand out when it felt full to bursting with coins. He pulled his hand out, heavy with gold coins, and deposited the handful on the counter next to the cage.

Em hummed slightly at the fall of coins, and began to slowly count them out until she pulled the last coin to her, opening a drawer to the left of her and pulling out a pouch similar to the one Harry had, dropping the coins into it..

"That's all of them. You can take the kneazle now and go. Thank you for shopping at Em's Extraordinary Exotic Creatures. Have a nice day." Em said, waiting until he did just that, before moving the cage to the floor behind her counter and pulling her book back to the spot in front of her, turning her attention back to it and ignoring Harry completely, resuming her former position.

"Thank you too, and I hope you have a nice day as well." Harry said, gathering the kneazle, no, Whisper into his arms.

Em waved her hand absentmindedly at him, showing that she heard, but didn't look up, and Harry decided that now was a good time to leave.

Whisper meowed, rubbing his head against Harry chest, before he jumped up to rest on Harry's shoulder, leaning against his neck.

"Well Whisper, that's your new name now, I'm happy to have you with me, and I hope you feel the same." Harry said rubbing one of his hands down Whisper's back, making a note to himself to take his gloves off later so that he could feel Whisper without them.

Whisper meowed, pressing closer against Harry's neck, curling his tail around to rest on Harry's opposite shoulder, mixed in with his hair.

Harry made his way to the front door, and pushed it open, walking out of it, and back into the Alley.

Harry left the magical creature shop with Whisper sitting on his right shoulder, his tail curled around the back of his neck, and disappearing completely amidst his hair.

He had spent a good amount of time in the shop, so now the sun was almost completely set, the sky painted in shades of orange, pink, and light purple.

He decided that he had probably just enough time to still find something to eat, before heading over to _Flourish and Blotts_ to use the fireplace to get to his new house.

_Em's Extraordinary Exotic Creatures _was located close towards the front of this part of the Alley, so most of it was still yet to be explored.

He continued walking down the Alley, noticing as he did that there were far fewer people than there were earlier, and what people were out had on cloaks with the hood pulled up, hiding their faces.

Whisper reacted negatively to these people, pressing close to Harry's neck, hissing softly whenever someone would pass by too close to them, and Harry remembered what the girl in the shop told him, about how Kneazle's could tell when someone was untrustworthy or dishonest, and would warn their owners against them.

Harry decided to pay close attention to Whisper after that, and steered clear away from the people that warranted that reaction.

The mood of the Alley was now more secretive, and Harry could have sworn that he just saw fingers, _human_ fingers, hanging from strings attached to a shabby looking cart that an old woman was standing behind, her grey hair peeking out from the scarf on her head.

Harry stopped and looked at the odd sight for a second, before he just shook his head and continued walking. The magical world was apparently filled with strange things everywhere he went, and he had to get used to it eventually, so he might as well start getting used to it now.

He passed an inn, a place called _Borgin and Burkes, _a couple more shops that had odd things displayed in their windows, when you could see past the window, and another bookshop that he made a note to visit later, before he saw a shop that had little tables and chairs set up inside a little fenced off area outside of the main shop.

Harry was about to walk past it when he noticed a hand written sign placed beside the fenced off area that had the words _Daily Specials_ written out on it, with a list of different foods following after.

He had just stepped closer to read the list when all of a sudden a voice called out that seemed to, unbelievably, be talking to him.

"Hey, you." a man's voice called out, and Harry turned around to see who was talking.

Behind him, across the cobblestone path of the Alley, was a man standing in front of a cart that Harry had noticed earlier, but ignored since it looked like it only sold various types of raw meat that somehow didn't smell when he passed by them.

The man was tall and looked strong, the outline of muscles visible beneath the simple white button down shirt he wore and plain brown pants. The man had longish dark blond hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and the most unusual thing about the man was his piercing bright gold eyes, and visibly sharp teeth that Harry was able to see clearly through the man's slight smile.

Harry looked around himself to see if there was anyone the man could be talking to, but he was the only one anywhere near the man, besides the person standing behind the cart, but the man obviously wasn't talking to him because he was facing Harry.

But the man also couldn't have been talking to him because there was no way that he could _see _him. Harry hadn't made any noise since he had left the creature shop, and even Whisper wasn't making any sounds, just sitting pressed against his neck, and Harry knew that no one could see Whisper either, because anything that he held was put under the shadow power same as him until he let go of it.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, the boy with the Kneazle on his shoulder." The man said after he noticed Harry looking around for who he must have first been talking to.

"It's getting late, and Knockturn really isn't a place for children to be hanging around after dark, so you should leave now before it gets any darker, to be safe." The man said, and at Harrys surprised face he chuckled before turning to face Harry completely, instead of just his head, leaning back against the cart now with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Wondering how I can see you? While your invisibility trick is pretty good, and anyone else might not have noticed you, nothing gets past my senses." The man said, smiling and lifting one of his hands up to tap the side of his nose with one finger.

"Why are you trying to help me?" Harry asked.

"I don't need any reason besides the fact that you're a child, and children need to be protected. Unfortunately, there are some people who don't agree, and it's not likely that you'll run into another good wolf like me, since now is when all the big bad wolves like to come out and play, and they happen to enjoy the taste of children." The man said, and Harry couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

"What do you mean by you being a good wolf?" Harry finally decided to ask, and in response the man's eyes glowed brighter, his teeth grew sharper and bigger, and Harry noticed the nails on the man's hands grow into claws. This all lasted for a couple of seconds though, before the man let everything return to normal.

"I'm a werewolf, of course, and a good one that abides by the Laws of the Moon, not a bad wolf, one of those who disregard everything and simply do what they want." The man said, and Harry felt a rush of excitement.

_A werewolf? I never could have imagined that they were real! I mean, the only reason why I even know what one is, is because that's what Dudley had dressed up as one Halloween, though he wasn't allowed to leave the house with his costume on. But the costume Dudley had was furry, and he just looked like he had dressed up like a dog, and this man is obviously, well, a man, though his teeth and nails did change earlier, so maybe he can change into a wolf? If he can, that would be amazing! And I wonder how many other things actually exist in the magical world. Do dragons, and fairies, and unicorns, and all the other creatures and beings that I read about in my fairytales actually exist? They might, and the fact that that I can even say that is incredible._

"Really? What are the Laws of the Moon, and what does being a werewolf mean? What can you do as a werewolf? Can you actually turn into a wolf?" Harry asked question after question in rapid succession due to how excited he was over this new discovery.

The man looked shocked over his reaction to him telling Harry what he was, but his expression soon changed to one of pleasant surprise and interest. His smile suddenly seemed more genuine, and his face more open.

"Hmm, not the reaction that I usually get, you're a rather interesting child, aren't you?" The man said, and he hummed a little, before turning back to the man behind the cart and saying something to him. The man behind the cart started doing something, and while that was happening the gold eyed man turned back to Harry.

"How about this, I was serious about you needing to leave now, but if you really want to know more about werewolves, and I mean the truth, instead of the trash they print in those ministry approved books about werewolves, then you can come back here tomorrow when it's still light out and go to the Dark Moon inn, I'll meet you there, and then we can talk." The man said, and Harry looked at him in suspicion.

Even though he did want his questions answered, especially since false or misleading information was apparently written in the books about werewolves, he wasn't about to go anywhere with, or to meet this man who he just met and didn't know anything about, not even his name.

Getting accurate information about anything was important, but not at the cost of his life or safety. Yes, it was nice of the man to offer to answer his question, and he didn't have to warn Harry that he should leave now since this part of the Alley was filled with dangerous people after dark, but that didn't mean Harry could trust him. He may be a good man, or a good wolf, his actions towards Harry proving that, but him being a good man didn't automatically mean that he was good for Harry. After all, their definitions of what made someone "good" might be different.

"Oh? Suspicion of me, are you? Good. Those that trust easily are usually those that die first. But I promise that I won't hurt you. You're. ..interesting, child, and I wouldn't mind talking to you again, Hecate knows I'm surrounded by more than enough simple minds every day. They mean well, but they really aren't what you would call interesting. But that's beside the point," the man said, shaking his head before he turned back around to the cart and picked up a package, dropping a handful of silver coins onto the cart.

He then walked over towards Harry, but Whisper wasn't reacting to him, so Harry didn't stop him or walk away, though he was prepared to do just that if the man did anything suspicious.

The man came closer and closer until there was about a foot of distance between them, and then he crouched down so that they were on more even ground, though even like that it was easy to tell how much smaller Harry was then him.

"How about a little magical vow to make sure I keep my promise?" The man asked, and Harry looked at the man for a long moment, before finally nodding his head. Harry didn't know anything about magical vows, but he did know that if the man making one would ensure that he kept his promise not to hurt him, then it must be something that wouldn't allow him to break his promise.

"Don't worry, it will be solely binding on my part, it won't affect you in any way, ok?" The man told him before locking eyes with Harry, the gold glowing brighter, and the air around them suddenly grew heavier. It felt like the air was charged with something, something that made his skin tingle, and felt familiar, like...like his magic whenever it was comforting him.

"I, Felix Vaughn, do solemnly swear, upon my life and my magic, to not harm you, or allow any harm to befall you while we are talking in the Dark Moon Inn. So mote it be." Felix said, the playful attitude that he had had from the first time they were talking fading away into one that was much more serious, his features looking dangerous and intent, though Harry could still see the man's obvious kindness in his eyes.

The feeling in the air slowly faded away with Felix's last few words, and Harry realized once it did that he had held his breath from the moment the man started speaking, and he slowly released it.

"On your life and magic?"

"Well it wouldn't be much of a magical vow if it didn't have some kind of insurance against me. It means that if I should break my vow, my life and magic will be forfeit, but I don't plan on having that happen, so it doesn't really matter.

"You though, child, really are interesting. Did you know that you're magic sensitive? And rather strongly at that. Your eyes were glowing even before I started the vow. You must have felt the magic that gathered in preparation of what I was about to do." Felix said, slowly moving to stand up, his eyes fixed on Harry's apparently glowing ones.

_So that's what I felt, the magic in the air? I guess that makes sense, it felt incredible and wonderful, and that also explains why it felt familiar. I noticed an odd feeling in the air from the moment that I stepped into Diagon Alley, but I thought that was just the feeling of being in a new place. But after experiencing a more concentrated version of the feeling just now, I realize that I've been feeling a lesser version of it this whole time. I must really be magic sensitive._

"Thank you for the vow, and for explaining." Harry said, keeping the fact that him being magic sensitive was new to him.

"You're welcome, but now it's even later than before," Felix said, looking around to take in the slowly darkening sky,"do you want me to walk you back to the entrance of Knockturn?" He finished by asking.

Harry looked around himself and noticed that it really had gotten a lot darker while they were talking, and he still hadn't gotten anything to eat, though by now the hunger had faded to the familiar ache in the pit of his stomach that he was able to ignore.

"No, it's alright, but thank you for offering. I'll see you tomorrow, so goodbye until then." Harry said, and Felix just nodded his head in acceptance and gave him a little wave goodbye.

"Tomorrow then, child. Goodbye and be safe, and may the moon guide you safely home." Felix said softly, before he turned around to head further into Knockturn, whistling softly as he went.

Harry waited until Felix had walked a good distance away before turning around to do the same in the opposite direction, thinking as he did that the odd thing Felix said about the moon must be a werewolf thing, and that he hoped _Flourish and Blotts_ was still open since he still needed to floo to the Potter manor house.

He walked back the way he came, and exited what was apparently Knockturn Alley, and not Diagon Alley, noticing a worn out sign with a hand pointing in the direction he had just came from attached to the wall right where you make the turn from Gringotts to enter the Alley, naming it as such.

_I can't believe I didn't notice that, but it's partially my fault, and the fault of the person who put up the sign. They should really make the sign more obvious so that other people don't wander into Knockturn accidentally, like I did. _Harry thought, as he walked back to _Flourish and Blotts._

He really couldn't afford to make mistakes like this, and he needed to be more observant to make sure that no more did.

Harry walked back to the bookstore and decided that since he was going to talk to the store owner anyway, it didn't matter if he noticed him come in, so he pushed open the door and let the little bell at the top merrily announce his and Whispers arrival.

Once inside the store, he walked straight up to the counter that this time had no one besides the man who was behind it earlier at it.

"I would like to use the floo please." Harry told the man who was staring at the kneazle on his shoulder instead of him in amusement.

"Yes, that'll be two sickles please." The man said, wiggling his fingers at Whisper who stared at the fingers haughtily, before turning his head away and nuzzling it into Harry's cheek.

"That's a lovely Kneazle you have there, I've never seen one with purple eyes, and I've looked everywhere. I've always wanted to have one, but I never found one that seemed to like me. You're lucky that you did." The man behind the counter said as Harry reached into the pouch in his pocket to pull out the two sickles.

"Thank you, and I am. Here." Harry said, handing the man the money.

"No problem. The floo powder is in the stand next to the fire place. Have a good night." The man said, and Harry nodded his head in thanks.

Harry walked over to the fireplace on the other side of the room and stared at the fire warily. He knew that Griphook had said that this was one of the ways that wizards and witches travelled, but to Harry, it just looked and felt like a regular fire.

He saw the stand that the man had mentioned, and reached over to grab a handful of the fine, bright green powder. He tossed the powder into the fire, like Griphook had told him to do, and stepped back as the fire flared a bright emerald green as soon as he did.

Harry walked closer to the fireplace, and felt no heat on his hand when he put it near the flames. He then stuck one finger into the fire, and breathed a sigh of relief when it passed through the green flames untouched.

_Well, here I go,_ Harry thought, bringing Whisper down to cradle in his arms. He had no idea what to expect from travel by fire place, but he couldn't imagine that it would be an easy trip.

He walked right up to the fireplace, and said as loud as he dared, so that no one else heard him, "Potter Family Main House", and stepped into the fire, feeling a cool rush all over his body before everything started to spin and he had to close his eyes, hugging Whisper close to him.

After a short while, Harry came to a stop and he stumbled out of another fireplace. He almost fell to the floor, but he managed to grab hold of the top of the fireplace before he did, Whisper cradled to his chest with his free arm.

Once he was able to stand without feeling dizzy he let go of the fireplace and stepped further into the room that he appeared in.

The room wasn't that big, looking like it had only the fireplace and two big black couches in the center of the room a few feet away from him, with a dark brown table between them.

The walls of the room were a soft cream color, and the floor was a burgundy carpet with delicate gold designs on it. The room had two big windows, one directly in front of him on the wall behind the couch that was furthest from him that had its curtain open, letting in the last of the sunlight, and one on the right wall next to it that had its curtains closed.

After taking in the room Harry turned his attention back to himself, only to discover that his previously black clothing was now almost grey with soot and dust, and judging by how dirty his face suddenly felt, he knew the rest of him was similarly covered, including his hair.

_Well, I know that I at least made it somewhere safely, though I'll have to check the rest of the house to make sure this is really the Potter manor house._

_And I really should have had my magic braid it earlier, but I can just wash all the dust off my face and my hair. My clothes on the other hand should just be thrown out completely. I can't be starting my new life in the magical world with the only clothes I own being Dudley's old cast off clothes. I didn't really have any time to do that today, but the first thing I'm doing after I get up tomorrow is going clothes and shoes shopping. After I do that, it will really be like I'm leaving my old life behind, because for the first time I'm going to have clothes that are just for me. _Harry thought, and then the silence of the room was interrupted by three loud _pops!_, and Harry wasn't alone anymore.

Standing in front of Harry were now three little grey...people? He wasn't sure what to call them. They all had very large light green or blue eyes, large floppy ears, and were the size of a small child. They were wearing what looked to be of all things pillowcases, pristine white pillowcases that had the now recognizable Potter family crest sewn on the area of their right chest.

"Young Master Harry! We's have been-" one started to say, before being interrupted by the other, "No you, it's not Young Master anymore, only Master." The one on the right said, and then the one in the middle who had spoken first nodded its head vigorously.

"Yes, yes, is being only Master, not young master anymore because of very bad happenings," the one in the middle mumbled to itself sadly, before looking back at Harry and seeming to perk back up.

"Master Harry! We's have been expecting you for a very long time. I is being Pippy, head of the Potter family house elves, and this is being Cassy," Pippy said, indicating the house elf to her left, the one that had yet to talk, and when Cassy noticed Harry looking at her, she bobbed her head once in greeting, a smile on her face, "and this is being Tilly," Pippy said, now pointing to the house elf on the right, the one that had talked earlier, who did the same thing as Cassy when Harry looked at him, "Everyone else is getting house ready for Master Harry." Pippy finally finished, and Harry just blinked at the three house elves in front of him, and they all blinked back.

_Ok, so now I know that they're called house elves, but what are they doing here? Besides taking care of the house and waiting for me apparently. Are house elves like servants to the people in the wizarding world? Because that's what it looks like, though they look much happier than I ever was at the Dursleys. Well, even if they seem happy, they might not really be, so I'll ask them if they want to stop working for me first, because it's not like I need a bunch of people cleaning up after me or looking over the whole house, I'm just one person, and I know that I'm not going to make a mess, but if they want to stay, or even want to leave, I have to make sure that they can't tell other people where I am, or anything about me. _Harry decided, but before he could say anything, Tilly seemed to finally notice the state he was in, as well as the kneazle in his arms, cautiously peeking out at what was going on.

"Master Harry is needing a bath right away, and clean clothes! And food for Master Harry's pet!" Tilly exclaimed, stepping forward and reaching for Harry, as if he was about to take him and do just that, which he probably was.

Harry took a step back in response, and held out his free hand in front of him to stop any further movements.

"Wait, that's not important right now, I need to ask-" Harry started to say, but he was soon cut off by Pippy.

"Of course Master Harry's needs is important. Pippy is being bad house elf, and is sorry for not noticing earlier." Pippy said, starting to wring her hands.

"No Pippy, you're not being a bad house elf at all, I just don't need a bath-"Harry started to say, but was cut off,_ again_, but this time by Tilly.

"Is Master Harry sure that he is not needing a bath? Because Tilly thinks that Master Harry doesn't know he looks..." Tilly trailed off, looking at Harry skeptically.

"It isn't that I don't want a bath-

"Then-

"Wait, I'm not finished. I know that I need a bath, and everything else you mentioned, but I need to ask all of you a very important question first. Are you happy here? Do you want to keep working for me, or do you want to stop and leave?" Harry finally asked, and the house elves all looked stunned, before Cassy, the house elf that had yet to speak, looked up at him with tear filled glassy light blue eyes.

"Is...is Master Harry wanting to get rid of us? Does he not want us anymore? "Cassy asked tearfully, sniffling slightly, and Harry turned to look at the other house elves, only to see that they were in similar states of distress.

_Well, that was unexpected. I can definitely tell from their reaction to my questions that they absolutely do not want to leave. I mean, they look like they're about to cry because they think that I don't want them._

_But I want them to actually tell me that they want to stay, not have it be me just thinking that they don't because of how they acted._

_"_No, no. It's not that I don't want you all, I would be happy to have you stay here with me, but only if that's what _you_ want, and what will make _you_ happy. I don't want to force you to be here just because you may have served my family, that wouldn't be right." Harry told the house elves, trying to calm them down while also explaining himself, and it seemed to be working, because Cassy wiped her eyes and took a big breath before looking at him calmly, and Pippy and Tilly stopped looking so frantic.

"Really?" Cassy asked, and Harry just nodded his head yes.

"Master Harry is very considerate and kind for asking, but Pippy is speaking for all the house elves when she says that we would all want to stay with you, and that it is here that we would be happiest." Pippy told him, looking determined, the house elves next to her nodding their agreement.

"Ok, if you're sure, but do you have to call me Master? I would prefer it if you didn't." Harry asked.

"We are sure, and I'm sorry, but Master Harry is Master Harry, and Master Harry is needing a bath." Pippy told him, looking like she wasn't about to be moved on the subject of what to call him, and like she was ready to drag him into a bath herself.

"Well, I would prefer it if you didn't, but I can tell that you won't call me anything else, so I'll leave it, for now. And you're right about the bath, I really do need one, and something for me and Whisper to eat, if you could, but no meat, at least not for me." Harry said, sighing a little. He really didn't want to be called master, but Pippy, and the rest of the house elves by the look of it, didn't agree with him so he was going to leave the issue alone, at least for now.

And if that was how things were going to be, and the house elves seemed happy to be here, then he might as well deal with his most pressing concerns, which were getting clean, getting something for him and Whisper to eat, and taking a nap, because the sooner tomorrow came, the sooner that he would be able to get back to Diagon Alley to learn more, and probably get some new clothes, since he couldn't continue to wear this same set of Dudley's castaway clothes forever

"Of course Master Harry. Pippy will be takings you to the bath now, and Tilly will get the master bedroom ready for you. Cassy will also make sure that you and masters pet have food waiting for when you finish in the bath." Pippy told him, Tilly and Cassy disappearing with a small pop, probably off to do what Pippy had just said.

Pippy motioned for him to follow her, and Harry did, following her out of the room and into a huge hallway that had doors on either side.

Harry followed after her, taking in his new home as he went. Even though he had discovered some rather unpleasant things today, and he still had to figure out what to do about the Dumbledore situation, he could honestly say that he was happy right now.

He had Whisper, a home to go to that didn't have the Dursleys, and he wasn't forced to sleep in a cupboard, and he never would be again, or see the Dursleys, if it was up to him. He had money to buy things, and a whole new world to discover that was just waiting for him to uncover its secrets.

And it was all thanks to his magic, and Harry himself, as none of this would even be possible if he never took the first step and decided to run away on that day that felt like forever ago. So Harry decided to give himself a hug, pushing Whisper closer to him as he did, because he deserved one, and so did his magic, so in place of him being able to hug it, he thanked it, and received the now familiar burst of warmth in response.

Things were looking up now, and Harry couldn't wait to discover what the future had in store for him.


	11. A conversation with a wolf

Harry woke up the next day after sleeping for what felt like five minutes. Whisper was curled up next to him, still asleep, and he burrowed his head further into the pillow.

He really didn't want to get up. The bed he was sleeping in felt like he was laying on a cloud, and when he turned his head he could see through the window on the left side of the room that the sun was just starting to come up.

_Well, even though it feels like I really didn't sleep at all, there's no mistaking the fact that the sun is up, and that means I_ _need to be up too._

_After all, there are things to be done, none of which will be_ _if I'm_ _just laying around in bed wasting time._

Harry reluctantly sat up in the bed that was big enough to probably hold twenty of him, piled high with just as many pillows, stretching as he did.

He covered his mouth with his hand as he yawned, and with the beginning of the thought of what he wanted to do with his hair, it began braiding itself, gathering all the loose strands until the braid fell heavy against his back, the rest coiled up like a snake behind him with some shorter pieces falling to frame his face.

He pushed one such piece behind his ear as he turned over to look at Whisper still curled up asleep beside him. He ran his fingers through his soft fur a few times before leaving him to sleep, and finally making his way off the bed.

On his way to the bathroom he looked back behind himself, and was struck by the same thought as last night. The bed, round as it was, with pillows and blankets spread out all on top of it, really resembled a bird nest more than anything.

And Harry would have never guessed how much he would enjoy sleeping in his bed nest, though he supposed that even a soft blanket and an actual pillow would be a massive upgrade from what he was sleeping on before, so it really was no wonder that he would like it as much as he did.

He used the bathroom and washed his face, feeling refreshed after he did. Refreshed, awake, and clear headed, enough that he was able to remember the thought that had been pestering him just before he managed to fall asleep.

If Albus Dumbledore was, _used, _to be his magical guardian, that meant that his parents were more than likely close to him, and if they were, that meant that he might know where, and have access to his home as well.

_I need to know for sure whether or not he does, and I know one person who should be able to tell me._

"Pippy? Can you come here please?" Harry asked out into the empty room.

He didn't have to wait long before he heard the now familiar pop, and then Pippy was there in front of him, hands clasped together and a smile on her face.

"Yes Master Harry, how can Pippy help you?"

"I just wanted to know if anyone who knows the location of the manor house would be able to come here whenever they wanted."

"No Master Harry, only those keyed into the wards can come to the manor house. Master Harry was brought here when he was a baby and keyed in."

"Wards? What are those?"

"Wards are a type of magic that is based on a location or object that sets up a type of barrier that does whatever you want. The wards on this house are ones of protection, so only those who are allowed pass the wards can enter. Pippy is sorry, but she isn't the best person to ask about magic that is not house elf magic."

_Well, it seems likely that Dumbledore is keyed into the wards, now I just need to see if he is for sure, and if he is, I need to figure out how to take away his access._

"No, thank you Pippy, your explanation was easy to understand. But can you tell me if someone named Albus Dumbledore is keyed into the wards, and if there is any way to remove someone's access to the wards? I would feel better if I knew that I was the only one who could come into my new home."

"Pippy can't tell you, but the Book can. Master Harry can also remove someone's access to the wards by striking their name from the Book. Would Master Harry like for Pippy to bring it to him?"

"Yes Pippy, thank you."

Pippy popped away, and returned a second later with a thin, gold and black book in her hands.

She handed the book to him, and when she did he felt a strong pulse from the book, almost like a heartbeat, and for a second he could have sworn that he saw a gold thread connecting him to the book, and other threads leading away from the book and out of sight, probably to the other people who were keyed into the wards.

He blinked and the threads disappeared, and in his hands he was just holding a regular book.

_That...was odd. I wonder if I was able to see that because of my magic sensitivity. If that's the case, then I'm definitely not the only one that is keyed into the wards, judging by the other threads I saw, _Harry thought as he opened the book to the first page.

The paper was slightly yellowed, and the first page, and the next few pages after it were filled with names that had a line drawn through them.

It was after those first few pages that he came across the first page that had names that weren't crossed out.

The page started off with his parents' names, and then his, though theirs were crossed out, which was...strange.

If his parents lived here before moving to Godric's Hollow, why would their names be removed from the book?

"Pippy, my parents' names are crossed out, do you know why their access to the wards would have been removed?"

"Ah, Pippy is sorry, but she forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"If someone who was once keyed into the wards dies, then their names are also crossed out in the Book, so since Master Harry's parents died, their names were crossed out."

"I see, thank you Pippy."

_Then that explains that. So let's see who else is still keyed in besides me._

Harry ran his finger down the list, and after his name was a Frank and Alice Longbottom, a Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Peter Petegrew, and one Albus Dumbledore.

_So he _was_ keyed in, him along with all these other people, but not anymore._

"Pippy, how do I remove someone's access, and will they know when I do?"

"No Master, they won't know, and all master has to do is run his finger through their name while thinking what you want to do. So if Master Harry wants to remove someone, he just has to think that."

"Thank you again Pippy."

Harry ran his finger along each name in turn, the thought of snapping the threads he had seen earlier and removing each person's access to the wards on his home running through his head.

Each pass of his finger left behind a thick black line through each name, along with the brief flash of the thread being broken.

He finally ran his finger along Dumbledore's name and felt a sense of satisfaction when he did. With this, he was one step closer to removing Dumbledore from his life entirely.

* * *

Harry opened the door to _Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, _and saw that besides himself, and the woman standing in front of a table piled high with different colored cloths muttering words to herself, that the shop was empty. Whisper jumped off his shoulder as soon as they got inside, walking off to go explore.

He slowly walked over to the woman he assumed was Madam Malkin, and tapped her on the arm to get her attention.

She turned around quickly, her fluffy red hair flying around her face, and looked at him with surprised light green eyes behind square glasses frames.

"Oh my, I'm sorry child, I didn't hear you come in, caught up as I am in all these Hogwarts uniform orders. Is that what you're here for as well?" The woman asked with a friendly tone, straightening something on the table in front of her.

Harry hadn't decided whether or not he was even going to Hogwarts yet, or if there were any other options available, so he definitely wasn't there to get a uniform. He just needed some clothes, and maybe one of those robes that he had seen everyone else wearing.

"No ma'am, I'm just here for some clothes." Harry told her, and she looked him over fully once, before nodding her head to herself.

"That's fine dear, and you can call me Madam Malkin, or just Malkin if you want. Now if you would get up on that platform...good, good. And forgive me for presuming, it's what most children who come in recently are here for, though I should have realized that you do look a bit too young to be heading off to school already." Madam Malkin said, ushering him over to one of two large round platforms that had four long connected mirrors placed around it, so that when Harry made his way on to it, four more Harry's were staring back at him.

Harry had honestly never really had the chance to look at himself in a mirror before today, so it was a little odd to be staring back at himself like he was.

And he had to admit that while he was a little, or a lot on the small side, he didn't think that he looked that young, though if the other children that she had seen were anything like Blaise, then he supposed he could understand where she was coming from. Compared to him, Harry knew that he must look a year or two younger.

"So what are you looking for? Daily wear, formal wear, an early start on your winter wardrobe or a full wardrobe set?" Madam Malkin asked him, looking him over critically as she listed each option.

"What is in the full wardrobe set?" Harry asked.

"Well it's everything that I just listed combined, including a winter cloak, three hats, shoes, gloves, undergarments and sleepwear. Does this seem like something you might want? Think carefully dear, though this definitely isn't Twilfitts and Tattlings, all those things together will come up to a good price. You might want to talk to your parents before making a decision." She told him, now looking a little worried, probably wondering if he would be able to afford everything, and why he was alone.

"It's fine. My mother is off at the book store, and she told me to get anything that I think I may need. We're about to go on a long trip, so I want to make sure that I'm fully prepared." Harry lied, and as soon as the words were out of his mouth Madam Malkin's expression relaxed, obviously relieved at knowing he wasn't alone and that there was a reason for such a large order.

Harry, for his part, didn't feel guilty about lying, because if a few words, true or not were enough to make this whole thing easier for himself, then he didn't mind speaking them.

"Oh, that's quite alright dear, and good for you. I just wanted to make sure of everything. Now if you'll just stand still, the measuring tape will gather all the measurements I need for everything. Do you have any preference about the color? And would you like some ribbons to tie up that lovely hair of yours?" Madam Malkin asked, and as if her words were a signal, measuring tapes of all different lengths floated off of the table she was standing in front of earlier and over to Harry, along with a notepad with a feather, a quill, posed over it, ready to write.

"No bright colors, mostly black and gray if you can, though I wouldn't mind dark greens and blues and reds. And I would like the ribbons, thank you for asking, but only in black." Harry told her, watching curiously as the measuring tapes got closer and closer to him.

The measuring tapes eventually reached him, and Harry was soon subjected to the oddly ticklish feeling the magic of the tapes gave off as they zoomed across his body, measuring everything that they could, the quill on the note pad working furiously to jot down each measurement. Whisper wandered back over to him while this was happening, and proceeded to bat at the measuring tape whenever it got close to him.

Madam Malkin stepped back as the measuring tapes were doing their job, and walked over to the table she was standing at before.

Harry watched her, half his attention devoted to what was happening to him and what Whisper was doing, and half on whatever it was that she was doing, and saw that once she reached the table she took something dark out of a large glass bowl that was near the corner of the table.

After she did that she walked back over to him, and by the time that she had reached him again the measuring tape had finished and was floating back to the table.

"Here you are dear. This is going to take a while, and I don't want to keep you cooped up in here until I'm done. The button will warm up and start shaking when it's time for you to come back, so make sure you don't lose it. Is that little darling yours?" Madam Malkin said, plucking the notepad and the quill from out of the air, and handing him the dark thing that she had taken out of the bowl earlier, bending down and looking at Whisper as she asked her question.

The button was large and shiny, and even through his gloves Harry could feel the faint pulse of magic in it, just waiting to be used. He turned it over in his hands a few times before pocketing it.

"He is, and thank you Madam Malkin. I'll be back as soon as everything is done. Do I pay you then, or now?" Harry asked, stepping off of the platform.

"You can pay me when you come back dear, and don't worry, you don't have to rush. I close at 9, so you have plenty of time to have a bit of fun before you come back to get your things. They'll be ready in less than an hour." Madam Malkin said, her voice starting to fade as she headed further into the store, her attention focused on the bolts of fabric all over the place.

Harry decided that now was a good time to leave, so he pocketed the button and made his way out the door and back into the Alley, Whisper jumping back into his arms.

He had some time to kill, and he knew just where to do so. He had his clothes taken care of, but now he needed something to put them, as well as the other things he might buy in, because he wasn't taking a trip back to his house every time he bought something, or risk being overloaded with all the things he was carrying.

His next stop until his clothes were ready was _Traveling Trunks, _a shop that he had passed by earlier that looked like it would carry what he needed.

_Traveling Trunks_ was two shops down from Madam Malkin's, so it didn't take long to get there, and when he did, the store only had a few other people inside of it.

There were trunks of every size and color on practically every available surface, save for the glass counter in the shape of a square that was in the center of the shop. Since there were more people here, so Whisper decided to stay with him instead of jumping down to explore again.

Harry walked closer to the counter and saw that enclosed in each side of it were pocket watches. Some of them were closed, but most of them were open, revealing a face that was completely different from the glimpses he had caught of Vernon's on the rare occasion.

The metal of the watches was either gold or silver, and while some of them had regular numbers on them, most of them didn't, and all of them had more than two hands.

Harry leaned closer to the counter to look at one watch in particular, Whisper putting his small paws on the glass to look with him. The watch was silver, and instead of a watch face, it was like someone had taken a piece of the night sky and put it in the watch. It had no numbers, and the many hands that it did have all held a miniature planet on its end. The hands were all moving at different speeds, and he couldn't help but think how beautiful it was.

Looking at the watches, Harry could admit that he wanted one, or maybe needed one, since he needed to be able to tell what time it was without looking at the sky, but since a watch wasn't what he had come in for, he would hold off on looking for one for himself until he found a bag.

He moved away from the watches and over to the wall to the left of the counter. He didn't need a trunk, but something smaller, like the bottomless money pouch he got from Gringotts, or maybe a satchel.

Harry waited until a girl that looked around his age moved away from the wall to step closer. There were smaller trunks in brown and black set against the bottom of the wall, and above them hanging on hooks were back packs in various colors.

The trunks were out right away, and Harry considered the back packs for a moment before discounting them as well. A back pack was fine for when he was trying to leave before and needed to carry all of his things, but now that he had an actual room, a _home_ of his own, he didn't need to worry about having a bag big enough to hold everything that he owned.

That, and he would prefer to be able to easily access anything he put in his bag, and a bag that hung at his side was best for that.

Having decided that, he moved over to the next section of wall that held smaller bags. Again there were hooks, but this time instead of the back packs of before there were the satchels that he was looking for, and underneath them on three shelves were pouches like the one he had in his pocket.

The bags and pouches also came in various shapes and sizes, and they all had little signs next to them that read that they were all spelled against theft, wear and tear, weather damage, and protection against minor spell damage.

_It's amazing how I'm discovering more and more of what magic is capable of simply by shopping around, and all during only my second day in the wizarding world._ _But back to the matter at hand. Since they all carry the same protections, it's simply a matter of choosing which one I like the most, _Harry thought, carefully looking over the bags on display.

He knew that he wanted a black bag, so that narrowed down his options significantly. He also wanted a bag that wasn't too big, and with that, the number of bags he had to choose from grew smaller again.

Now he was left with a few black bags that ranged from being medium to small, about the size of a book turned on its side, though considering the bags were bigger on the inside than they appeared on the outside, that didn't really matter.

"Which one do you think I should get?" Harry whispered into Whispers ear. The soft fur of it tickled as it twitched against his lips, making him smile until Whisper leaned forward out of his arms to touch one of the smaller bags that had a front flap that closed with silver buckles. He decided to pick up one of the pouches that matched it that had a silver string tying it close.

"Good choice, I was looking at that one myself." He told Whisper, causing him to turn around and rub his head against his cheek and meow. It was like he was telling him good job.

With the bag and the pouch in hand, he walked back over to the watches, this time to actually look for one to buy.

Back at the counter he got distracted by the first watch that had caught his attention, and after looking it over again, he had an idea of what kind of watch he wanted for himself.

He looked at all the watches on display in the side he was standing in front of before moving on to the next side when he didn't see anything that he liked. This repeated until he found the perfect watch in the fourth and last side of the counter.

The watch that he had decided on had a silver body, with a pattern engraved on the top. The face of watch had the same night sky background as the one before, but with this one the stars stood out brighter, moving around and twinkling in and out of sight constantly. The watch had numbers on it that were done in white so that they stood out from the background, and three metal arms. Two of the arms were spirals that ended in an arrow point and told the time, and the last arm had a little moon on its end, and extended further than the other two, and even past the ring of numbers so that it had a space of its own.

"This one is nice, right?" He asked Whisper, who meowed his agreement.

Harry kept his eyes on the watch as he called out to the man standing inside the square counter, looking up when he started to talk to him.

"Yes? How can I help you?"

"I would like to buy this watch, along with this bag, and this pouch." Harry told the man, pointing to the watch, and placing the bag and the pouch on the counter.

The man nodded his head to show that he understood, and then tapped the glass with his wand in a short pattern before reaching his hand _through_ the glass, and taking the watch that Harry was pointing at.

"This a good choice. Though not as complicated as some of our other watches, the simple functions of this one make it easy to understand, while also providing a little something extra. The two normal arms tell the time, and the moon arm changes to reflect the position of the moon throughout the day, as well as the phases of the moon. The stars in the background also change at random to form different constellations." The man explained in a pleasant tone as Harry stared at him, thinking about what he had just said and what he had just seen.

It felt like every second he was being presented with more things magic was capable of, from all the things the watch could do, to being able to stick your hand through glass. And every new discovery made him feel even more excited and eager to learn more.

"Is that all that it can do?" Harry asked.

"It also automatically adjusts itself to whatever time zone you're in, so that makes it really handy to have if you go traveling, though you could also cast a _Tempus_ to see what time it is, the other functions of the watch make it good to have, as well as helping to leave a good impression. You can always trust a witch or wizard with a pocket watch to be on time.

"Is this everything that you're getting today, or would you like to take a look at our wide selection of trunks?"

"No thank you, I only want what I have here." Harry told the man.

The man took his wand out again, before tapping the bag the pouch, and the watch, telling Harry what everything came up to after he did.

Harry payed the man and then let Whisper jump to the floor, slipping the bag on across his chest and adjusting it so that it fit correctly, fixing his braid so that it wasn't stuck under the strap. He then put the pouch and watch inside of it, Whisper jumping back into his arms and then to his shoulder seeing that he was done.

The man smiled at Harry before saying one last thing as he turned to go.

"Have a nice day, and thank you for shopping at _Traveling Trunks_."

Harry walked out the store and decided to go look at some of the stalls that were across the street from him that he had seen yesterday when he had first stepped into Diagon, but didn't have the chance to look at closely.

He wasn't looking at the stalls for long, constantly moving around so that he wouldn't be bumped into and seen, before he felt something moving in his pocket.

Harry reached into his pocket and removed the button that he had gotten from Madam Malkin. The button was shaking, almost jumping out of the palm of his hand, just like she had said it would when his order was ready and he could come pick it up. Whisper leaned down to examine it, looking ready to pounce, and not wanting that to happen he quickly put it back in his pocket.

_That was quick. I feel like barely any time at all has passed since I_ _left her shop. I remember Petunia complaining about how long it took to have the few dresses she had custom made done, though I suppose with magic helping you would be able to have ten of those dresses made in the time it took to make one, so it isn't too surprising that she's done already. _Harry mused as he made his way back to Madam Malkin's shop.

He hadn't traveled far on purpose, so it didn't take him long to make it back, and when he opened the door this time it was to see Madam Malkin standing at her table again, though this time instead of the table being littered with various odds and ends, it was stacked high with blue boxes tied with purple ribbon in various sizes. There was some stray ribbon laying on the floor that Whispered spotted at the same time as he did, jumping down and proceeding to play with it, wiggling around on his back as he gripped one end between his sharp little teeth, the rest of it caught in his claws. He looked happy, so Harry left him to it.

"Madam Malkin? Here's your button, and I'm here to get my things." Harry told her from his place on the other side of the table, handing over the button when she looked over to him.

"Oh! Forgive me dear, I didn't see you come in. Thank you, and these are your things." Madam Malkin said, taking the button from him and dropping it back into the glass bowl with the others.

Harry looked over the boxes for a second before deciding to ask if he would be able to put on one of his robes now. He would have preferred to throw the clothes he was wearing right now in the trash in favor of his own clothes that he had just had made, but that would have to wait until he got home. So for now he wanted the robe since he could just slip it on. That way he could feel content knowing that he was at least wearing one thing that was his, and not someone else's cast away clothing.

"Can I put one of the robes on now?"

"Of course you can dear. Would you like me to shrink the rest?"

"Yes, thank you." Harry said, accepting the black robe that Madam Malkin took from one of the boxes and handed over to him. After she did that she took her wand out and Harry witnessed his first spell.

She moved her wand in the shape of a V and said _Reducio, _causing a purple light to shot out from the tip of her wand that engulfed all the boxes on the table. When the light faded, where the boxes once were there was now a small heap of miniature boxes, the largest no bigger than a match box.

_Would I be able to do something like that without a wand? _Harry wondered, distracted by the faint lingering feel of the magic in the air, before he remembered that he was supposed to be putting on his robe.

He slipped the robe on over his old clothes, putting both bottomless pouches into the pocket of the robe once he had fixed it on himself. He then put his bag on so that the strap went from his left shoulder, and over his chest, ending with the bag part hanging by his right side.

Now that he had the robe on he took the watch out of his bag, and put it into the pocket of the robe that was empty. That done he turned back to Madam Malkin and accepted the heap of wrapped up shrunken boxes, dropping them into his bag, and then payed her.

"Have a good day dear, and I hope you have a pleasant trip. Don't hesitate to drop by again if you need anything else." Madam Malkin told him as she waved him off, and Harry waved back, promising that he would.

Whisper, seeing that he was done dropped the defeated ribbon that he had torn to shreds and walked towards him triumphantly, satisfaction clear in every step that he took as he nimbly jumped into his arms again.

After Harry left Madam Malkin's he walked further into Diagon, wondering where he wanted to go next, when he was suddenly hit with the feeling that he was forgetting something.

These past two days, and he couldn't believe it was only that, it felt like much longer, had been so full of him learning new information that he wasn't surprised that he might have forgotten something when he honestly felt like he was hit by an information overload.

Though even with his head feeling fit to bursting, all he wanted to do was learn more, and more, and _more_. Magic was incredible, and the possibilities that it presented were seemingly endless. There was so much more he had to learn, that he wanted to learn, that there wasn't enough hours in the day and he wished that he didn't have to waste even a minute on sleep.

But back to the matter at hand, did he order something from a shop to pick up later, and he forgot about it? He wasn't sure, so he let his gaze trail across all the store fronts across from him, and stopped when he came across the sign for _Flourish and Blotts._

He _did_ want to go back to the bookstore, and actually buy some books this time, but he felt that while what he was forgetting had something to do with the bookstore, it didn't have to deal with actually getting something from it...

Harry let his eyes scan over the store front, and stopped when he thought that he spotted someone familiar leaning against one of the windows.

But the only person that he could consider himself familiar with besides Griphook was Blaise and maybe Felix...wasn't he supposed to meet up with Blaise today?

Harry pulled his pocket watch out of the pocket of his robe, and checked the time. The fancy little hands of the watch showed that it was 2:55, and Harry looked back at the person leaning against the window, eyes scanning the crowd constantly, and realized that that was Blaise, and that he was probably looking for him.

_I_ _can't_ _believe_ _I_ _almost forgot. Maybe_ _I_ _should have actually slept yesterday, instead of taking that short cat nap._ _When was the last time that_ _I_ _even slept for a full night? It was two days_ _I_ _think, the…the last_ _time_ _that_ _I_ _was at the Dursleys._

Harry rolled his eyes at himself. Sure he wished that he didn't have to sleep, but not doing so wasn't worth it if he was going to end up forgetting things. It made learning those things in the first place pointless if he was just going to forget them the next day.

He snapped the pocket watch close, and slipped it back into his pocket. Harry waited until he saw a small opening in the constantly moving crowd, before walking forward and through it, emerging out on the other side untouched, and directly in front of _Flourish and Blotts._

Harry went to go stand next to Blaise on the side of the window furthest from the door, and tapped his arm to get his attention, nodding hello when Blaise turned his head to look at him. It felt like he was meeting up with an old friend instead of a near stranger.

"Hello, Green Eyes. You know, to be honest with you, I wasn't sure if you were actually going to show up." Blaise said in English, and he looked like he was daring Harry to act like he didn't understand what he just said. His eyes flicked down to Whisper only once before moving back up to meet his own.

Harry simply stared back at Blaise, putting a confused expression on his face. He had got the feeling yesterday that Blaise didn't believe that he couldn't understand English, and this only confirmed it.

Blaise seemed like he was expecting this reaction though, and he just chuckled silently once before turning his head away from Harry to look around Diagon.

He paused briefly on one place to the left of them, and stared at it for a few seconds, speaking up just when Harry was about to turn his head to see what he was looking at.

"_Good,_ _it_ _doesn't_ _look like there are too many people at the ice cream parlor today," _Blaise said, this time in Italian, apparently deciding to humor Harry as long as he was going to act like he couldn't understand English.

Harry turned his head to look in the direction that Blaise was still looking in and saw a small white shop that had to be what he was talking about. There were two small round tables outside, with three pretty silver chairs stationed around each one. The door of the shop was propped open and he could see that the store was indeed almost empty, with only a man behind the counter of the store, and a short line of two people waiting to get ice cream.

Harry had never had ice cream before, but he knew from the times that Dudley had it that it looked, and probably tasted delicious.

This was the perfect opportunity for him to try it himself.

_"__Ready to go?"_

_"__Yeah." _Harry said, and Blaise looked at him for a second, before nodding his head.

Blaise pushed off from where he was leaning against the window and started walking in the direction of the ice cream parlor, turning his head back only once to make sure Harry was following.

They didn't have to walk long before they reached the ice cream parlor, Blaise leading the way and opening up a clear path for Harry to walk through.

Blaise opened the small gate that closed in the outside eating area and left it open for Harry to walk through as he headed straight into the parlor.

Harry closed it back behind him after he walked through and followed Blaise, noticing as he did that the two people that he had seen in there before were gone.

_"So what do you want? I'll pay since it's my treat." _Blaise said, looking at all the ice cream on display behind the glass case.

Harry walked up beside him and looked as well. There were round tubs will little tags near each one. There was a brown one with a tag that read chocolate next to it, a white one that read vanilla, a pink one that read strawberry, and many more besides those. Just at first glance he saw a light brown, almost golden one with a tag that read treacle tart.

The whole shop was filled with the delicious smell of the ice cream, and looking at all the different flavors on display Harry didn't know which one to choose, though that was probably due to the fact that he had never had _any_ flavor before.

_"I'm not sure."_ Harry told Blaise, looking over to him.

_"I suggest that you get the sampler set then, since this is your first time and it would be best to try out different flavors to see which ones you like the most."_ Blaise said, and he seemed to be taking on him have a good first time tasting ice cream as a personal mission, and Harry couldn't help but laugh at him a little as he nodded his head yes, hiding his smile behind his up raised hand.

Blaise payed as he said that he would, and they didn't have to wait long before their orders were ready, Blaise getting a glass cup that had three scopes of ice cream in it, and Harry getting a silver tray that had 6 mini versions of Blaise's cup, each filled with a different ice cream flavor and a little silver spoon.

"I see you have a little kneazle with you," The man behind the counter, Mr. Fortescue most likely, said before they had a chance to walk away, his eyes focused on Whisper. Seeing that he had their attention he continued, "Would you like to try my new dairy-free salmon ice cream? It has real pieces of salmon mixed in. I've been experimenting with new pet friendly ice creams, so you can have it free of charge." He finished. He sounded like he was being sincere, and he gave off a kind vibe, so since Whisper didn't react negatively to him, Harry nodded his head yes and Blaise added the offered white dish filled with pale pink ice cream to their tray.

Harry and Blaise took a seat at one of the tables outside the ice cream parlor, Harry in the middle seat with his back facing the store, while also giving him a full view of all the comings and goings of Diagon Ally, with Blaise sitting in the chair to the left of him.

Blaise set the tray down with a small clang of metal against metal as it hit the table top.

The sounds of the Alley were muted as they sat down, the work of a spell no doubt, and they were able to relax back in their seats without being bombarded by noise.

Whisper jumped down from his shoulders and settled on the edge of the table to people watch, and Blaise made sure to move everything out of his way and set the salmon ice cream dish down at his side when he did.

Harry watched Whisper examine the bowl before starting to eat the ice cream with small licks that soon grew more enthusiastic when he realized that he liked it, and Harry laughed to himself before turning to his own ice cream as he tried to decide which one he wanted to try first.

He caught movement out of the side of his eye and he turned his head to see Blaise sprinkling various toppings on his ice cream. Just then a breeze blew and pushed the loose pieces of his hair into his face, and as he tucked it behind his ear he remembered something that had occurred to him after he left the bookstore yesterday.

_"__Blaise, do you think that I'm a girl?"_

_"__No, why?"_

_"__Something you said yesterday."_

_"__I don't, and whatever I said was probably because of your hair, it was the first thing I saw when I bumped into you."_

Blaise handed him the small sampler tray and then put his own cup of ice cream in front of him before moving his hand to rub at his temple again.

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Another headache. It might not be that noisy today, but that doesn't mean that everyone is any less loud."_

_"But the sound is muted, shouldn't that help?"_

_"It doesn't help if it's their emotions that are the problem. But forget about that. Your little friend over there, does he have a name?"_ Blaise asked, gesturing over to Whisper with his spoon, Whisper flicking his tail in response, not turning around, attention focused solely on his ice cream.

_"His name is Whisper."_

_"You should try the treacle tart flavored one, it's the gold one," _Blaise said when he noticed that he still hadn't touched his ice cream,_ "I think you'll like it, and that's a nice name."_

_"You like cats?" _Harry asked, tasting some of the recommended ice cream, and discovering that he did like it, the flavor bursting on his tongue.

_"I'm more partial to birds, like my mother, but I would never turn away a Kneazel if it chose me. Is he your familiar?" _At Harry's confused look he proceeded to explain, _"A familiar is an animal that you feel a connection with that goes beyond being pet and owner. The bond usually forms over time, but it can sometimes happen instantaneously. Does it feel like the two of you understand each other, or like you're more comfortable together than apart?"_

_"It does feel like that." _Harry said, running his hand down Whispers back as he came closer to him having finished his ice cream, stopping once to rub his head against his cheek before climbing onto his shoulders and settling down,_ "Even from when we first met I immediately felt like I had to have him, and he felt the same."_

_"Then congratulations, you have yourself a familiar. Have some ice cream to celebrate, though Gelato would be better." _Blaise drawled, putting his spoon down into his empty cup before giving him three slow claps. Harry rolled his eyes at him, smiling despite himself, before his interest was piqued by the unfamiliar word.

_"Gelato?"_

_"It's ice cream made in the Italian style that's thicker, creamier and has a richer taste. There's a shop in Florence called the Carraia that makes it the best, though when I eventually make my own I'm sure it'll be better."_

_"I'm sure it will be." _

They sat in silence for a few moments, Blaise now watching the people walk by in place of Whisper, and Harry continuing to eat his sampler. He was surprised to see that it hadn't melted at all while they were talking.

_There must be spells to keep things cold for as long as you want them. Magic really can do practically anything, from my shadow magic, to keeping a cup and ice cream cold, _Harry thought. Even without taking off his gloves he could feel that the empty cup, as well as one of the filled ones were both as cold as when he had first got them.

Harry liked all the sample flavors he had except for two, which he offered to Blaise who gladly took them. One with pieces of chocolate in it, and one that was red, and had pieces of cherries in it.

Since he was finished, he decided to follow behind Whisper and Blaise and turned to watch the people in the Alley as they walked passed their table too, smiling to himself at the displays of magic he saw, and the truly extravagant hats that some people were wearing. While he was doing this he noticed the sky start to steadily darken a little, signaling the approach of evening, and he remembered that he was supposed to go see Felix in Knockturn before it got dark.

He turned to look at Blaise and noticed that he had finished the ice cream he had given him. He had his head in his hand again. His eyes were closed, and the fingers of the hand his head was resting on were slowly rubbing at his right temple.

Looking at him Harry decided that now was a good time as any to leave, not only because he had to go, but because it would also be better for Blaise to leave now since his headache still hadn't gone away.

_"Blaise?" _Harry called out, and Blaise just hummed to show that he had heard.

_"__This was nice, thank you, but can I ask you one more question?"_

_"Sure."_

_"Would you be able to tell me the names of any books about security spells, cleaning spells and other magical communities?"_

_"I had a feeling that you would ask about books. I saw how you were looking at them yesterday. My house elves take care of the cleaning in my house so I don't actually know any personally about that, though I do know that some exist, but for the books about wizards in other countries, I can recommend one book, WWWW, or World Wide Wizarding World, and for the security and protection books, I would suggest reading 1001 Spells to Protect Yourself and Your Home , and Constant Vigilance!, it's a book that was written by an especially paranoid auror named Alestor Moody, who's known for saying the title of the book whenever he can. It might sound a bit silly, but that book is full of information about personal safety and protection against practically everything."_ Blaise finished telling him, and he was just about to thank him when he noticed a woman approaching their table had her eyes trained on Blaise.

She was tall, and had long black hair pinned up in intricate designs on her head. She had the same eyes and skin color as Blaise,and also like him, the sight of her was oddly familiar. She was dressed in finely made robes of royal purple, and Harry guessed that this was more than likely the mother he had mentioned earlier.

"Ah, darling, there you are. You should really try and stick to one place when we go out, makes it easier for me to find you." Blaise's mother said as she approached the table that he and the boy were sitting at.

Blaise just barely resisted rolling his eyes at his mother, who was acting like he ever went anywhere besides _Flourish and Blotts_ or Fortescue's whenever she made him go to Diagon with her, or like she couldn't just use a Point Me on him if he was anywhere else.

"You say that, but this was probably the first place you looked, mother." He said, moving to stand up, and he decided not to draw attention to the boy sitting at the table next to him, or, well, who he thought was still sitting next to him since he couldn't see him anymore, now that his attention had focused, however briefly, on his mother, and he lost sight of him.

Well, it was probably for the best anyway, since his mother would be overly interested in the boy once she saw that he was spending time with someone of his own volition. Blaise just made sure to wave goodbye discreetly in case the boy was still there, and then left with his mother.

Harry watched the two talk, and figured out he was right about the woman being Blaise's mother when he called her that.

Blaise thankfully didn't draw attention to him, but that might have been more because he wasn't sure if he was still there or not, since he looked over the table as if looking for Harry, and his gaze passed right by him.

They finally left a few seconds later, and Harry noticed that Blaise looked like he was waving at him with one hand as he walked away back into the store with their dishes.

Harry waved back, even though it went unseen, before moving onto the next item on the days list, or rather the newly added item, since he was going to go look for the books that Blaise had recommended to him.

* * *

Harry was settled down in a quiet corner of _Flourish and Blotts_, the two protection and security books at his side, and the _World Wide Wizarding World_ book in his lap Whisper curled into a ball and sleeping at his side.

He had just finished reading it, and to be honest, he was more than a little disappointed at how many wizarding schools there were besides Hogwarts, though maybe more existed, but they just weren't mentioned, and of those few schools, the number of which he could realistically go to, which was 1.

Altogether, including Hogwarts, there were 13 schools listed in the book:

American Institute of Higher Magical Teachings

Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

Brazilian Wizarding School

Durmstrang Institute

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Koldovstoretz Academy of Magic

Mahoutokoro School of Magic

Uagadou School of Magical Learning

Academy of Broom Flying

Charm School

Euro-Glyph School of Extraordinary Languages

Merge School of Under-Water Spellage

Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts

The least he could say was that he had options.

_Well, to be more accurate, I really have only_ _one option_ he thought, flipping through the book again.

He knew that right off the bat he could discount the five specialized schools because they only taught one thing, and not the many subjects that the eight major wizarding schools taught.

Now of those eight schools, he couldn't go to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang because of the connection they shared with Hogwarts.

If he went to either of those schools, it would be too easy for Dumbledore to get to him if he decided to look for him after realizing that he didn't show up at Hogwarts in September.

Mahoutokoro and the Brazilian and American schools didn't accept transfers and only took students from those countries and the surrounding ones, and the same went for Uagadou, though that one was out not only because of that, but because school for the those attending it started at the age of 9, and he was already a few days shy of turning 11.

The only real option he had was the Koldovstoretz Academy of magic, because it wasn't too far from Britain, being in Russia, (actually it was, but he could handle a little distance for the sake of his education) but it was far enough that he doubted Dumbledore would look there, it was small, and it took transfer students. The only real downside was that it started taking students at age 13, which meant that he would have to wait 2 years before being able to attend it.

That meant that he would have to go to Hogwarts, at most for two years, but the bright side to him doing that was that he would have the time to figure out how to make sure that Dumbledore wouldn't be able to find him after he left Hogwarts to go to Koldovstoretz.

And him going to Hogwarts, at least at first, would make sure that Dumbledore wasn't suspicion of him and wouldn't suspect that he was on to him, or knew that Harry knew that he was the cause for basically every bad thing in his life, from being called the savior of the wizarding world, to the Durselys.

_I might have to go to Hogwarts, but it won't be for forever, and while I'm there I'll be able to buy myself time to figure out how to keep Dumbledore away from me for good. I already managed to stop him from being my guardian, got my vault key back, and took him off of the list of those keyed into the wards at my house. And besides, _Harry thought, closing the book and setting it off to the side, picking up Constant Vigilance! after he did, _he would be too focused on me if_ _I_ _didn't show up at all, and if he goes looking for me now when I_ _don't know nearly enough about anything, it will be beyond easy for him to find me._

_Now that I know what I'm doing, tomorrow I have to send my reply to the Hogwarts letter, get my school supplies, and spend the rest of the time before school starts reading and exploring the Alley._

He turned back to Constant Vigilance!, and held hope that he would be able to learn what he needed to protect himself in it.

The book started out with an extremely short about the author page, before immediately delving into the spells that it was about.

Each page contained the name of a spell, a description of what it did, and a moving diagram of a witch or wizard performing the spell so that you could see the wand movements, and what effect the spell had for yourself.

Harry flipped through the book, pausing briefly on spells that caught his eye, like the _Caterwauling_ Charm that sets off a high pitched shriek whenever someone besides the caster steps into the perimeter of it, and _Cave Inimicum,_ which warns the caster of any approaching enemies and strengthens an enclosure from them.

Another spell that really caught his attention was _Periculum Revelare_, a spell that once cast on an object, preferably one with a head, arms, and legs, senses malicious intent and danger and warns the caster, while also coming to life to act as the casters defense until the threat is removed or terminated.

The objects on the page that the spell was cast on were all human like dolls, or stuffed animals, and were referred to as "Attack Dolls". Apparently the spell was mostly used for young children, to protect then in the event that they got separated from their parents for whatever reason.

_This seems like a really useful spell. Its cast on an object so I would be able to carry whatever I cast it on with me, and it isn't tied to one place like the other spells. And from its description, it seems like it does what Whisper does, so in case we're ever not together, I would have the attack doll with me as a substitute. _Harry thought, looking over the page again before closing the book.

He had found the information that he really needed about the schools, and he had found more useful information just now after flipping through the book, but he couldn't spend all day here, at least not today. He had one last thing to do today, and since he was going to buy the three books that Blaise had recommended anyway, he could just read them at home.

Harry grabbed up the other two books that were on the floor at his side, waking Whisper up as he did so that he could follow him, and headed up to the front of the store.

As the man behind the counter rang up his purchases, he looked around, and noticed that the sky was visibly darker, showing that half the day was already gone, and that he didn't have that much time before night truly fell to go find the inn that Felix had mentioned, and the man himself so that he could have his questions from yesterday answered.

He turned back to the counter when the man told him how much everything had come up to, and nodded his head yes when he asked if he wanted his books shrunk as he handed over the money.

Harry took the newly shrunken books, slipped them into his bag, and headed for the door.

The only thing he had left to do now was find the Dark Moon Inn, talk to Felix, and then head home.

He walked towards Gringotts, and like the day before, walked down the path that he now knew to be Knockturn Alley.

Just like yesterday, there were few people roaming around, but he knew that would soon change, so he picked up his pace, keeping a look out for the sign of the inn while making sure he didn't bump into anyone, Whisper in his arms helping him keep watch.

He continued like this until he finally spotted the sign about halfway into the Alley.

The sign hung on a short metal pole above the door, sticking out past it. The words Dark Moon Inn were written in cursive in black, and below them was a picture of a black crescent moon.

He opened the door and walked in, and was hit almost immediately by the sound of people laughing and talking, and the smell of food.

The inn was filled with tables like the Leaky Cauldron, and directly in front of him on the other side of it was a long counter where some people were eating food and drinking, and on either side there was a doorway that opened up to a staircase that led up to where the rooms must be.

Harry contemplated getting something to eat, before disregarding the idea when he looked again and saw how many people were already doing just that, and instead carefully made his way to one of the unoccupied tables in the corner of the room, and sat down on the chair with its back against the wall. Sitting there he would be able to spot Felix as soon as he walked in, while also giving him a view of the whole room.

He had just gotten himself settled when he suddenly felt like someone was watching him.

_That must be Felix. Unless there's another werewolf in here, he's the only one who can see me._ Harry thought, looking up and scanning the room, only to be confronted with a pair of glowing red eyes, not gold like Felix's, staring straight at him from out of a woman's face.

Whisper immediately started hissing at her from his position in his lap, tense, arching his back and fluffing out his fur to make himself seem bigger, his eyes flashing, and fangs gleaming in the light of the inn, causing Harry to tense right along with him.

The woman slowly smiled when she noticed that his attention was on her, completely ignoring Whisper, revealing two razor sharp fangs at him, the light in the inn glinting off of them before she let her lips close over her teeth as she stood up, her shoulder length curly red hair swaying with the motion.

She kept her eyes locked on his as she made her way closer to him, and regardless of how much he tried to move, he couldn't. It was like the second their eyes met, he was frozen in place.

She reached him in what felt like a second, and when she did she took the seat across from him and leaned her head in her hand, tilting it slightly, resting her fingers tipped with blood red nails filed to a point on her pale cheek.

Whisper, more immune to whatever magic she was using to keep him in place tried to struggle out of his arms, but was only able to free his two front paws, resting them with their claws extended on the table in front of him.

"Well aren't you just the cutest thing." She cooed before sniffing the air and relaxing back in her chair with a small shiver.

"With eyes to die for and a smell that is simply, _divine," _she sighed, her eyes glowing brighter, "I could just eat you up. And you'll let me, won't you?"

"Of course you will," she laughed, "you really don't have a choice. I can practically taste your blood already."

"Don't worry sweetheart, I'll be sure to savor you. It'll only hurt a _little._" She said, lifting her head out of her hand and reaching for him.

The whole time the woman was talking, Harry's magic was growing agitated inside of him, to the point that it felt like it was about to burst out of his skin, and he was sure that his eyes were glowing. But along with him being frozen in place, his magic also felt like it was trapped inside of him, with no way out.

The woman touched his cheek with her hand and his magic struck out against her, making her hand recoil back as if he had burned her. The momentary distraction allowed Whisper to wiggle all the way free and he was now completely in the table, looking like he was about to claw the woman's eyes out.

But unfortunately it wasn't enough to break her hold on him, because he still couldn't move.

_I don't care about who or what you are, but if you touch me again I'll make sure to do the same thing again, but worse, _Harry tried to communicate with eyes, but by the way that the woman didn't even react, he knew that even if she could read what he was thinking through his eyes, she didn't care.

"Now that wasn't very nice, was it? And here I was trying to be gentle, but you obviously don't want me to be. And even your little kitty cat is acting up, how rude." She said with a pout.

"Don't you worry though, sweetheart. I'm also good at being _rough_." She snarled, her face twisting up into a twisted grin, and this time her hand shot out at him almost faster than he could see, slapping Whisper to the side and off of the table with a yowl, and all he could do was try and brace himself, his magic getting ready to attack her again as soon as she touched him.

But her hand never reached him.

With a rush of air there was suddenly another woman standing next to the table, holding the red headed woman's hand in a crushing grip.

She had short bright purple hair that was in little spikes, and eyes that were glowing slightly golden, like Felix's.

"Now, now, Linda, you know what you're doing is against the rules of the inn, and against a kid no less. He's under my alphas protection, which means that's he's also under the protection of the rest of his pack." The woman said with a grin that showed all her teeth.

"Does it look like I care about who is and isn't under the protection of that man? Now get your hands off of me you mongrel, before I decide to make _you_ my snack." Linda snapped, tugging at her arm, but the other woman's grip never let up.

"Sorry, but no can do. As a matter of fact, how about you and I go have a little chat about respecting your elders, hmm?" The woman said, her lips spreading wider until she was less smiling, and more baring her teeth at Linda.

She yanked Linda up out of her seat before she could say another word, and Harry was finally able to move with Linda's eyes off of his, rushing out of his seat and bending down to pick up Whisper, who besides being shaken up and a little winded, seemed fine. He hugged him to his chest, dropping a kiss on the top of his head and breathing out a sigh of relief.

He stood up and saw the woman start to walk away, dragging Linda behind her with a grip that was looking increasing painful, but then she turned her head back at him for a second and winked at him, her eyes now dark brown, with a friendlier smile on her face.

"Don't worry kid, Felix should be here in a minute, and I'll make sure to keep this one away from you. I'm Alyssa by the way." Alyssa said before turning her head back around.

_I knew that there were dangerous people in the magical world, just as there are in the regular world, but I_ _didn't think that I would be faced with one so soon. As soon as I get home I need to make one of those attack dolls and apply those protection spells to myself. This can't happen again, _Harry thought, placing his hand against his racing heart. If Alyssa hadn't stopped Linda, something bad would definitely have happened to him and Whisper, and he couldn't help but hate the fact that he couldn't do anything to help himself.

_This is just another reason why I_ _need to learn everything that I can. I never want to feel so defenseless and helpless again._

Harry and his magic were just starting to settle down when he was approached by yet another person who wasn't Felix, and could see him.

"I apologize for her behavior, she is still just a child, though I know that doesn't excuse how she acted towards you." The man spoke softly, his light blue, almost gray eyes showing that he was sincere.

Harry just looked at the man as he continued to stare at him, because even though the man could obviously see him, like Felix, he gave off a very different feel than he did. He felt like Linda, but more subtle, and something about that feeling made him doubt that he was a werewolf, like Felix was.

He also didn't make Harry feel like running away from him, like Linda did, but he kept his magic ready just in case that changed.

The man's words finally caught up to Harry, and he broke his gaze away from him, the man's eyes not freezing him in place, to look back at the woman, Linda, that had first approached him, who was now arguing with Alyssa, the one who had said that she was part of Felix's pack, and had stopped Linda from, well she said blood, so killing or eating him, by the inns counter, a tall muscled man with his arms crossed in front of his chest behind the counter watching over them.

From anyway you looked at it, it was obvious that the woman definitely was _not_ a child, no matter how far you stretched the term. She didn't look as old as Petunia, but that didn't mean that she looked anywhere near his age. She was obviously an adult, not a child, and Harry looked back over to the man to try and convey this fact.

The man, upon noticing the look Harry gave the now arguing woman at his words, hummed a bit in consideration before moving closer to Harry's table.

"I see where I may have confused you, young one. While she is perhaps not as much of a child as you, she is young yet for a vampire, still a fledgling." He explained before looking back at Linda, and sighing.

_A vampire? So that's what the two of them are? _Harry thought before he was distracted by the man speaking again.

"But still, that does not excuse the fact that she used her thrall on you and approached you as she did. Her sire should have taught her better, but he, unfortunately, is as prone to giving into his impulses as she is." The man said, looking at Harry with a small frown, but before he could say more, a familiar voice called out from across the inn.

"Hey, Mikhail!" Felix said as he approached them, talking to Mikhail, but looking the boy over to make sure that he wasn't hurt, "thanks for watching over him." He finished, clapping a hand onto Mikhail's shoulder.

"Alpha! Shouldn't you be thanking me first? I'm the one who stopped her from making that kid her snack." Alyssa called out mid-argument, and Felix turned his head back to look at her, a grin on his face.

"Ah, you're right. Thanks Ally. Order anything you want, and I'll cover it, my treat." He told her, and her face lit up.

He could already feel his soon to be empty pocket reprimanding him for choosing that as Alyssa's reward for stopping what he should have been there to prevent from happening in the first place.

"So this child is with you, Felix?" Mikhail asked, his tone of voice showing that he already knew the answer, and wasn't happy with it.

"Yeah, I met him yesterday, and since I didn't manage to scare him off, I agreed to answer whatever questions he has about werewolves, and any other information I can think of that might be useful." He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"That is a worthy endeavor for you to undertake, and it is also very kind of you to do so, but if this child is under your care, no matter how temporary that time may be, it is your responsibility to make sure that no harm befalls him." Mikhail said, and Felix knew that he wasn't the type to yell, in fact he was the opposite, so the near whisper he had just spoken in showed how disapproving he really was of him.

"I know, I know. It's just that I was caught up settling a dispute between two of my betas. This won't happen again, but thanks for worrying, I'm sure he appreciates the fact that you care too, right?" Felix asked him, turning away from Mikhail to look in Harry's direction.

Harry simply nodded his head once to show that he did agree, tacking on a softly spoken thank you as Mikhail also turned to look in his direction.

"And I'm sorry to cut this conversation short, it really has been too long since we last saw each other, but it's getting late, and I want to make sure to send him on his way before it gets too dark, and I'm sure that you have other things to do, taking care of Bradley's childe being one of them." Felix said, causing Mikhail to look back over to where the two women were arguing, only to see that Linda had disappeared, and that Felix's pack mate was at the inn counter, getting something to eat.

"You are right. I will be sure to get into contact with you the next time I am here." Mikhail told Felix before turning his attention back on to him, "Until next time, and child, I wish you safety with your doings on this day. May we meet again, if the fates permit it."

And with that Mikhail walked away after nodding his head once in goodbye.

Felix sighed before looking over at him with a sorry expression on his face as he moved to take the seat across from him, the same one that Linda had just been sitting in.

"I really am sorry. I made a vow to protect you while you were here, and I almost broke it." Felix said, and silence was his only answer.

"Would you like something to eat? Drink? I'll pay for anything that you want."

"No thank you. Could we just get to the questions?" Harry asked, because right now he wasn't in the mood to waste any more time on things that weren't what he came for.

"Sure, but where to start, hmm, well the Ministry of Magic is the root of most problems, so we can start there."

"Ok, so what you need to understand about the Ministry of Magic is that it has decreed that just as there is light magic and dark magic, there are light and dark wizards and witches, as well as creatures. Werewolves and vampires are considered two such dark creatures."

"But how is magic light or dark? And how can someone be considered one or the other?" Harry asked, his mouth tilting down into a small frown.

"Well, I've never really looked into it, but I suppose it's the nature of the magic used. You know, spells that cause pain are dark, and ones that defend or heal are light. And as the name might suggest, light magic is good magic, and dark magic is bad. Just like how unicorns are considered light creatures, they're pure, and, well, light, and a werewolf is a dark creature, and apparently all about being an out of control beast that steals little children away in the night in order to bite them and turn them." Felix said, the expression on his face growing more disgusted the longer he talked.

At Felix's explanation though, Harry only felt even more confused.

"That makes no sense at all. Have you ever felt your magic, the magic inside of you?" He asked, freeing up one of his arms from where it was wrapped around Whisper and touching his chest, the place where he could feel his magic even now, warm and safe, "Because I have, and mine isn't something that can be labeled "good" or "bad", "light" or "dark", it's something that I'm fortunate enough to be gifted with, and that's it. Do you understand what I mean?"

"I do, but just because that's something that even a child could figure out, doesn't change the Ministry's stance on magic. As long as they believe it's true, then it's the law, because they're the ones in power." Felix answered with a shrug, and Harry couldn't help but feel like he was being faced with magical versions of the Durselys, because if that was honestly what the Ministry of Magic thought, then unfortunately, the people who were in power were also suffering a severe lack of common sense, because how could they just decide that all people and creatures, and even magic was good or bad, just because they said so? It didn't make any sense.

"But if it's obvious to me, and you, and probably a lot of other people, then why hasn't anything changed?"

"The only answer that I can really give you is that's just how the magical community in Britain is. It's completely backwards, like their thinking and lifestyle, and most everything really is still stuck in the dark ages, and everyone, especially the people who can make a change and have things move forward, are perfectly content to leave things the way that they are.

"If only the world were filled with more people who thought and acted like you do, it would be a better place." Felix laughed, his expression bright, though it grew more somber and thoughtful with his last few words.

"It's just common sense, though you're right, that is something that the majority of the world seems to be lacking in." Harry said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. While he was talking he had unknowingly leaned forward over the table, and he ran his head over Whispers head and down his back a few times in a calming motion.

"And I just, I can't believe that anyone would honestly believe any of that." He added on, "I love my magic because of all that is has done for me, and allowed me to accomplish, but not once have I ever felt that it's dark or light, and that should be the same for everyone who has it. Anyone that uses magic should be able to tell, to _feel_, that it can't be one or the other."

"Again, I agree, but it might just be because you're magic sensitive that you can see and feel things so clearly. But you're right, if a child new to magic can come to these conclusions, then the adults in the Ministry should be capable of doing so as well." Felix said, leaning back in his chair, and running a hand through his hair, pushing it back. He sighed, before continuing, "Unfortunately, the world we live in is far from perfect, and the people in power rather set in their ways. This is something that you will figure out as you grow child, if you haven't already, but the world can be cruel, and it can be kind, but either way, it isn't obligated to do, or offer anything up to you. Obstacles will always stand in your way, and you have to overcome them if you ever want to move forward."

"The stigma against werewolves is one obstacle that I find myself facing every day, and people going against your way of thinking and living will no doubt be one for you, but you're special, I can tell, so never let anything stop you on the path in life that you choose to walk, and know that you will always be able to find an ally, and a friend in me.

"I like you, child, and I think that our meeting each other was more than just chance, I can feel it."

The whole time he was speaking Felix had made sure to maintain eye contact with him, and Harry was able to see that he sincerely meant every word that he said, which made him feel happy, and he couldn't stop the smile from coming on to his face, small, but fully expressing how he felt.

"Thank you for your advice, and for saying that. I also wouldn't mind being friends, and it's nice to know that I have an ally."

"And it's good to know that you feel this way, and I'm sorry to have to cut the conversation short since I know that I haven't answered all of your questions, but it's almost completely dark outside, and you should be heading home." Felix said, a sorry expression on his face, and Harry looked out the nearest window to see that he was telling the truth.

"But just because I can't answer all your questions now, doesn't mean that I can't answer them later."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"What I mean is that you can talk to me and the man from before, Mikhail, again, on one condition."

"What condition?" Harry asked warily.

Felix just grinned at his tone, flashing his fangs, before leaning in a little closer, so that Harry could hear him over the suddenly louder inn.

"You only come to the inn when I'm here, at least until you get a little older, or you have someone older accompanying you. Do you have an owl? You can also send me letters instead of us meeting up when I'm not in London or can't make it here."

"I don't."

"No? Well that's fine. I don't use Artemis nearly enough, so she would appreciate stretching her wings a bit, bringing our letters back and forth, though I don't suppose that you'll tell me where you live, right? Or your name?"

Harry shook his head no. Talking to Felix was one thing, but letting him know where he lived was another thing entirely.

He needed to trust him before any of that could happen, and even though they seemed like they could be friends, they had to get to know each other first before he was able to decide whether or not he could trust him with where he lived.

"Hmm, I didn't think so, but Artemis should be able to find you regardless, she's a rather smart bird." Felix said, getting up from the table.

The inn had grown a lot more crowded as time went on, but Felix was able to clear a path for Harry to walk through, so he made it to the door untouched.

"Do you want me to walk you to the end, or will you be fine on your own?" Felix asked, looking towards the end of the Alley and then back at him.

"I'll be fine, thank you for offering though, but it isn't that far until I'm back in Diagon."

"If you're sure. I won't be in London after today, but you can expect a letter from me before the end of the month.

"Goodbye child, and may the moon guide you safely home." Felix said, before waving goodbye and turning to go back into the inn.

Harry waved goodbye back, and turned away once the door closed, starting to walk towards the front of the Alley.

He had done a lot today, and right now all he wanted to do was head back home, read his books, and then go to bed, and he was sure that Whisper agreed with him, having been through more than enough today himself.

He could worry about preparing to go to Hogwarts tomorrow.


	12. First Sight

Updated Summary

**Harry didn't have many expectations walking into the wizarding world, but it still somehow managed to fall short, in more ways than one. Faced with being told what he should do, and who he should be, Harry has only one thing to say: I don't care. Having learned from an early age that the only person that he can truly trust is himself, Harry knows that he can't make himself worry about what people have to say to, or about him. He's always been the type of person who thinks for himself, and to stick to a decision once he's made one, and that isn't going to change anytime soon, magic or no magic, so when he decides that he doesn't like the wizarding world as it currently is, he sets off to do the obvious, and change it into a world that he wants to live in, regardless of what anyone else has to say.**

Sorry for the long wait. My computer finally died on me, completely, and its taken me a while to get a new one.

* * *

Harry finished packing the last of his things into his trunk, looking over his room to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, and seeing that he didn't, asked it to grow smaller so that it would fit easily into his pocket.

It was already September 1st, but he woke up early, like usual, so he had a couple of hours before he had to leave for the train station, which he was thankful to Blaise for telling him about, seeing as his letter made no mention about how to actually get to the school.

Whisper was on the floor next to him eating his breakfast, and the only thing left for him to do now that he was finished with his trunk was eat his own. Everything else had been taken care of, and he was ready to start school.

He sat down on his bed and let his magic do his hair, his eyes automatically coming to rest on what had been bothering him a little ever since he got it a little over a month ago.

His wand.

The long black box was cool in his hands, and when he took the top off to reveal the nearly black wand nestled on the cushion inside, he didn't feel anything. Considering everything he had seen various wands do during his trips to Diagon, he was disappointed when the wand maker, Ollivander, finally found and gave him his, after he had spent close to an hour in his shop.

The thing was, he wasn't disappointed in the wand itself, because judging from Ollivander's reaction when he gave it to him, it was a very fine wand, even if it wasn't the wand that he had apparently expected him to receive. He was more disappointed in how he thought it would be something special, only to finally hold it in his hands and feel only, is that it? Well, that, and the truly uncomfortable feeling of his magic being restricted and channeled into a piece of wood, made to do something that it was never meant to, which was a feeling that he could go his entire life being glad to never experience again. His magic was meant to be free, and that was how he liked it.

Wands and him just didn't go well together, and that was fine, because if he was able to go his entire life without needing one to do magic, that meant that he didn't need one now. And the Hogwarts letter only said that he needed to have a wand, not that he needed to use it, so he was fine. He would carry his wand with him, even make a show of pretending to use it if anyone got too curious, but he would continue to use his magic as he always has been.

He put the wand box away in his bag, and started in on his breakfast. He had better things to think about than his wand, like the letter he had gotten from Felix, what being in a magical school was actually going to be like, because regardless of the fact that he would be watching out for Dumbledore while he was there, the fact still stood that he was about to attend a school that taught magic, and that was an exciting thought in itself, and what book he should read on the train.

"Which would you choose, Whisper, this one, or that one?"

"Meow."

"You're right, I'll just take both."

* * *

"You're distracted darling, it isn't like you." His mother said suddenly, her smooth voice reaching him easily over the din of the train platform.

She was dressed in expertly tailored mourning robes, decorated with silvery black spider web patterns, a long, sheer black veil covering her face with her hair down for once.

This, unfortunately, (unfortunate for the men she married, fortunate for her vault) was a rather common sight, considering that they had just held the funeral for husband number five last week, and as custom dictates, she was still in her mourning garb, though anyone with eyes could see that she wasn't actually mourning anyone.

He could just imagine what headline the Daily Prophet would print if they were stupid enough to actually print anything against her, _The_ _Black_ _Widow Strikes Again!_, and he just rolled his eyes at her, stopping his admittedly fruitless search for Green Eyes to look at her.

"That's because I'm not, distracted that is. I don't know why you would think otherwise."

"No? And here I thought that I had taught you to be a better liar than that. Let's not forget that I did find you the other day at an empty table, with enough ice cream to feed two, or did you think I wouldn't notice?" His mother said, all the while looking like she was laughing at him on the inside, condescendingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about. You know I have a sweet tooth, and you've seen me eat more ice cream than that in one sitting."

"Hmm, that is true." she said, and from her tone it was clear that she didn't believe him, again.

"Well, it's getting late darling, and I know you'll be fine by yourself. Come now, look at me." His mother said, and he saw that she was smiling one of her rare, real smiles as he turned around to face her.

She placed one of her gloved hands on his cheek and bent down slightly to kiss his forehead through the veil. The material was soft, and her kiss was like a brush of muted warmth behind it.

She pulled away a second later and stood tall, tucking a strand of loose hair behind his ear before taking her hand away completely.

"Remember to write, your poor mother is in mourning and could use a letter every now and then from her only son to lift her spirits." She said, her lips curving up into a visible smirk behind the veil as she did, in direct contrast to her words.

"I will mother." Blaise said, snorting once in amusement. If his mother was in mourning, then he was soon to be sorted into Gryffindor, two things that definitely weren't true, or about to be.

"Good. I'll see you over Yule."

She started to walk away after that last remark, the fall of her hair reminding him of Green Eyes, before she stopped, barely a foot away from him.

"Oh, and one last thing darling, before I forget. I'd like to meet your little friend over Yule, or when I come to get you at the end of the school year, though I do commend them for their disappearing trick. If I wasn't able to feel them, I wouldn't have known they were there."

And with that she continued to walk away until she reached the designated apparition point, and apparated away.

All Blaise could do was sigh, his owl Hermes hooting once in sympathy. He really should have known better than to think that he could lie to her, but she couldn't blame him for trying.

"Blaise, are you ready to get on the train?" A familiar voice suddenly spoke out from his left, and he turned his head to see that Green Eyes was standing next to him, Whisper on his shoulder.

"Speaking English now, are we?" Blaise asked, lifting his feather light trunk and walking towards the train, noticing as he did the distinct lack of a similar trunk at the boy's side.

"I learn quick."

"Sure. Do you have all of your things?"

"In my pocket, it's easier to carry that way."

"Smart, I should have asked my mother to do the same. Any preference for where you want to sit?"

Harry looked around the train platform before answering. It was a little surprising how many people were already there, despite the two of them arriving early. "Where there's the least amount of people."

"We should," Blaise said, looking at the stream of people that were slowly making their way onto the train, most people looked like they were settling into the middle and the back of the train, so the front was mostly clear, " head to the front of the train then, it looks like most people want to sit in the middle or back."

Blaise looked to the side when he finished talking, only to see that Green Eyes wasn't there anymore.

"You know, the train station really isn't the best place to disappear. I have a hard enough time keeping track of you normally, and now with all the people around it's even worse." Blaise sighed, looking around in vain, _again,_ for him.

Harry barely held in his laugh at the sight of Blaise looking for someone that he couldn't see, and after watching him for a few seconds finally decided to speak up from where he was standing, a few steps in front of him.

"Well it's a good thing that I'm right in front of you, isn't it?" Harry said, causing Blaise's eyes to finally settle on him.

"Yes, I suppose it is. You know, I get the feeling that you enjoy surprising me."

"What was that? I couldn't here you over all this noise."

"Of course you couldn't, forget it." Blaise said, grinning in amusement. "Move over a bit, I still need to get on the train."

Harry walked further back on the train so that Blaise could step on. Looking curiously at the large owl in the cage in his left hand, who stared right back at him.

Their staring contest was broken when Blaise turned around and started walking towards the front, Harry following behind.

They weren't walking long before they found a compartment that was empty and didn't have any people in the ones on either side of it, at least not yet anyway.

Blaise walked in first, placing his trunk on a rack that was above the seat on the right, and then sitting down underneath it. He let his owl out of its cage, and it flew to settle on the owl stand by the window.

Harry walked in right after he did, closing the door behind him, and silently asked the lock to stay locked until they decided to open it.

Whisper jumped off of his shoulder and also made his way over to the window, curling up on the sill, and Harry moved to take the open bench on the left.

Blaise's owl turned his head around until he could see Whisper sitting behind, and Harry held in a laugh as they entered into their own staring contest. Harry was silently rooting for Whisper to win.

He looked over at Blaise to see that he was also watching the staring contest between his owl and Whisper in amusement, so Harry left him to that, pulling out one of the shrunken books he had in his pocket, silently asking it to grow bigger as he did.

He pulled his legs up onto bench and settled down with his back facing the window. He was more than content to let the train ride continue in silence. Whisper, Blaise, and his owl were all occupied by what they were doing, and he had a book to read.

"So what did you do with the rest of your summer?" Blaise asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over their compartment.

"Nothing really, I spent most of my time reading, and exploring a little." Harry said, looking up from his book.

"That sounds exactly like you, from what I know of you, at least. You came off as something of a bookworm even from when we first met."

"I like to read." He shrugged.

"That's obvious, I would bet money on you being a Ravenclaw. And did you get to visit any of the shops I told you about?" Blaise asked, actually looking a little excited as he did.

"I did."

"And…?"

"And what?"

"What did you think of them?"

"They were nice."

"Nice? That's the word you use to describe the best sweets and pastry shops in Diagon? Just nice?"

"They were also good?" Harry offered, hiding his grin behind his opened book, as Blaise looked at him in disbelief.

"You-, you're messing with me, aren't you?"

"What do you mean? I'm just telling you how I really feel." Harry said innocently, but by the look on Blaise's face, he could tell he wasn't buying it, and he barely held in a laugh at how affronted he looked.

"Sugar is nothing to joke about, honestly, no one seems to appreciate it like I do." Blaise sighed, pretending, or at least Harry thought he was, he very well could be serious, to be disappointed, before he suddenly frowned, and lifted one of his hands up to rub at the bridge of his nose.

"Ah, how annoying. This is the one thing I wasn't looking forward to. We'll continue this conversation later, but for now, I'm going to take a nap, wake me up when the train's about to stop." He grimaced, closing his eyes, and keeping them closed as he moved so that he was laying down completely on the seat.

"Ok. Do you think your owl will get hungry before we have to get off?"

"His name is Hermes, and he shouldn't, I fed him before we left, but if he does he'll be sure to wake me up and let me know. He's definitely not an owl that minds doing what he wants, when he wants something."

Hermes broke the staring contest to turn his head back around to hoot at Blaise in agreement, and this time, Harry did let his laugh out.

"Can I touch him?"

"Sure, he doesn't like strangers though, so hold your hand out to him so he can see how he feels about you."

Harry took off one of his gloves and then held his hand out until Hermes' tawny gold eyes focused on him. There was a moment where they just stared at each other, before Hermes blinked once and leaned his head into his hand. The feathers on the top of his head were softer than Harry expected, and he ran his fingers through them a few times before he took his hand away.

"What kind of owl is he?"

"A great horned owl. My mother got him as a birthday gift for me a few years ago."

"He's beautiful." Hermes puffed up a bit as he said that, and seemed to be judging the distance between the two of them before he jumped off his perch with a single great flap of his brown, white, and almost gold colored wings. He was only in the air for a few seconds before he settled down in Harry's lap.

They stared at each other once he stopped moving, Harry's eyes filled with surprise, and Hermes filled with what looked like smug satisfaction. "I guess you didn't want me to stop, huh." Harry said, and Hermes just leaned back in response.

"He's also vain. When you're done holding him you can just tell him to go back to the stand." Blaise said, his voice sounding muffled.

Harry looked away from Hermes to see that while they were talking Blaise had moved so that he was now laying on his side, his back facing Harry, and his head cushioned on one of his arms.

Harry decided to let their conversation end there, and turned his focus back towards the owl in his lap as he continued to pet him softly.

They continued like this until the train started with a jolt, startling Whisper who was curled up on the window sill, and making Hermes puff up in annoyance. Harry put his glove back on and moved him to the stand, curling up on his seat when he sat back down and settling down himself, book in hand.

The rest of the ride passed with Harry alternating between reading his book, and watching the scenery flash by in the window, and the quiet was interrupted only once by a knock on the door, and someone jiggling the handle trying to open it, but Harry's silent command held, and whoever was trying to get into their compartment left before long.

It was dark when the train finally came to a stop. Harry woke Blaise up when a voice sounded out reminding the students to leave their trunks on the train, and for those with owls to leave them secured in their cages. Harry took his trunk out of his pocket and set it on the floor, letting it grow back to its original size.

Harry and Blaise were already dressed in their robes, so after Blaise put Hermes back into his cage, he picked Whisper up, letting him climb onto his shoulders, and they followed the flood of students exiting the train.

They came out onto a station that was dimly lit, and were soon directed down a dark dirt road by the conductor that led them towards a large, dark lake, which had little boats dotting the shoreline, moving slightly in the water.

"Firs' years over here, no more than three to a boat!" A voice suddenly boomed, and Harry saw that the voice was coming from a large man that towered over everyone. He was waving his arms to get their attention, and gesturing over towards the little boats.

"Everyone else towards the carriages!" The man announced next, gesturing with one of his large hands to a path that ran alongside the lake. Waiting on the path were large black carriages, which were attached to the oddest looking horses that he had ever seen. Their skin was a shiny black that looked almost leathery, and the bones in their body, and the large black wings on their backs stood out sharply. From what he could see, their eyes looked white, or silver, and their heads didn't look much like a horse's head at all. In fact, if he had to choose what it _did _look like, he would have to say a dragon's, and the fact that he could now say that, and actually _mean_ it, was incredible.

As he looked closer at the ones nearest to him, he saw them turn their heads in his direction and for a second, he could have sworn that they were looking back at him.

"Green Eyes, are you still next to me?"

"Yeah, I'm here." He answered back absentmindedly still focused on the strange horses, because he was sure that they were looking straight at him, and he found that the longer he stared back, the more, oddly enough, comforting the sight of them grew.

"Good. I see a boat that's still free, so we should go get it before someone else does.

"Hey, are you listening?"

"Yeah, I just…never mind, let's go."

Even after he turned around to walk with Blaise towards the boat though, he could still feel their stares on his back, following him until he was out of their line of sight.

"He said no more than three to a boat, so we'll be fine with just the two of us." Blaise said as they stepped in the boat. It rocked a bit when they got on, but it settled soon after they actually sat down.

The gentle rocking of the boat set off small ripples, and Harry watched them as all the other boats around them were soon filled up, and then they were off, the boats moving by themselves silently in the water, the quiet of the night broken by the excited chatter filling the air.

The talking quickly changed to gasps of amazement when they actually caught sight of the school, not that Harry heard them, because as soon as they got close enough the thing that stole his breath and full attention was not the sight of the school, though it _was_ beautiful, bright and lit up like a beacon calling them closer, but the feel of it.

The magic of the school was warm and welcoming, an all-encompassing feeling that made him feel safe, while at the same time setting his skin to buzzing with a sudden sense of exhilaration. It was a thousand times more intense then what he had felt when Felix had made his vow to him, and he reveled in the feeling.

"It's amazing..."

"Yeah, it really-" Blaise started to say, but when he turned around to look at Green Eyes, his words left him, because the boy sitting across from him was literally glowing, from his skin, to his luminescent eyes, that were a bright, unnatural green, which couldn't, by any definition of the word, be defined as human. Even his hair seemed to be floating slightly, controlled by something that wasn't the air.

In that moment, it was obvious that Green Eyes wasn't really talking to him, in fact, Blaise might as well not exist for how much he, and everything that wasn't what was causing Green Eyes to look like that, registered.

It was evident then that he was right about Green Eyes being special, and different, and he sat back with a smirk, letting the rest of the ride continue in silence, satisfied with knowing that he was right when he decided to stick around with Green Eyes, on the assumption that with him, things were sure to be interesting, and not the least bit boring.

Harry zoned back into his surroundings when the boat stopped in front of the entrance to the castle, and though the feeling of the magic didn't leave him, he had managed to adjust to it somewhat, so that it didn't feel as all-consuming as it first was.

When they got off the boats they were once again met by someone, but this time it was a woman in dark green robes wearing a black witch's hat, and glasses, her gray hair tied back in a bun.

"Hello students, and welcome to Hogwarts. I am deputy headmistress Minerva McGonagall, and you may address me as Professor McGonagall. Now if you all would please follow me, I'll be escorting all of you to the castle to be sorted." The professor said in a no nonsense tone, and though she sounded stern, the small smile on her face was plain to see, which helped to soften her words.

Harry recognized her name from his letter, and seeing as she was the deputy headmistress, and Dumbledore was the headmaster, there was no doubt in his mind that the two were probably close, so he made a note to himself to be wary around her. He could never be too careful, and he would rather erase the opportunity of something happening instead of trying to figure out how to get out of a situation once he was already in it.

The professor led them over to the front doors of the castle, and they opened at their approach, letting them into a brightly lit hallway which had two more large doors at the end of it.

"Up ahead is the Great Hall, which also serves as the dining hall, and where the sorting will take place. Now seeing as you all are about to make your first impression on the staff, and your fellow students, it would be in your best interest to smarten up as much as you are able before we go in." McGonagall said, looking intently at a red haired boy in the front as she did, who hastily wiped at his face when he noticed her eyes on him.

All around Harry the other first years were straightening out their robes, and fixing their hair, as they talked to the person closest to them about what to expect. At his side, Blaise seemed unconcerned with everything that was happening, and Harry himself simply made sure that Whisper was comfortable in his position wrapped around his shoulders.

They were soon interrupted by a group of transparent people that passed through the group as if they weren't even there, leaving shivering students in their wake.

Harry heard some of the students complaining about how the ghosts should know better than to just pass through people like that, and he got his answer to what they were, just as they were about to pass through him, too, but they stopped right before they could, and one by one, all of the eyes of the ghosts came to focus on him, the same strange expression on every one of their faces, before they all fled in a rush.

Everyone stopped after they did, and after a few minutes of awkward silence passed, McGonagall cleared her throat and announced that they would be proceeding forward now.

As they were walking forward, Harry noticed Blaise looking contemplative out of the corner of his eye, but he was more concerned with the realization of what expression the ghosts were all looking at him with. For whatever reason, they all looked at him like they were _afraid_ of him.  
It was the oddest thing, but the thought soon left his mind as the doors to the great hall opened, and he was greeted by his first sight of it, and what a sight it was.

The first thing he noticed were the four long tables that were each full of students of various ages, with the students at each table all wearing something that followed a specific color theme. The loudest table had students wearing red and gold, and the two quietest tables had students wearing green and silver, and blue and bronze, with the students wearing yellow and black somewhere in the middle.

The second thing he noticed were the hundreds of lit candles floating in the air, and the third thing was the ceiling, which was somehow a replica of the night sky outside, the stars shining down on them. And at the very front of the hall, seated at a table that placed them above everyone else in the room, were who could only be the rest of the professors, and seated directly in the middle on a thrown like chair was one of the few people that he could honestly say he hated, Albus Dumbledore.

His eyes seemed to be searching the crowd of first years for someone, and he would bet anything that Dumbledore was looking for him. Finally seeing him in person was deceptive, since he looked more like someone's grandfather, and not like someone who would be interfering with his life, and not for the better.

Seeing Dumbledore brought Harry's mood down, and he came to a stop, the doors closing with a bang behind him, not as happy as when he first walked inside.

His attention was brought back up to the front when he saw McGonagall separate from their group and come to a stop next to an old looking, three legged stool, which had what looked like a large, dark brown wizards hat placed on top of it.

Then all of a sudden, the unexpected happened.

The hat stood tall by itself, its folds coming together to form what passed for eyes on a hat, and then, strangest of all, the brim rippled, becoming a mouth, and it started to sing, and Harry realized that he was looking at the hat that would be used to sort him.

_"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,_  
_But don't judge on what you see,_  
_I'll eat myself if you can find_  
_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_  
_Your top hats sleek and tall,_  
_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_  
_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_  
_The Sorting Hat can't see,_  
_So try me on and I will tell you_  
_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_  
_Where dwell the brave at heart,_  
_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_  
_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_  
_Where they are just and loyal,_  
_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_  
_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_  
_if you've a ready mind,_  
_Where those of wit and learning,_  
_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_  
_You'll make your real friends,_  
_Those cunning folks use any means_  
_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_  
_And don't get in a flap!_  
_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_  
_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The sorting hat finished its song to a round of applause, which quieted down quickly with one look from McGonagall, who cleared her throat sharply to get everyone's attention before pulling a paper out of her pocket. She let go of it in the air, and with a flick of her wand it unrolled itself and floated in the air in front of her.

She looked at the paper, before calling out clearly, "Hannah Abbot!" Once she did, a blond girl standing at the front of the group of first years hesitantly stepped forward, before quickly making her way towards the front once the professor gestured for her to come. McGonagall picked the sorting hat up, and told her to sit, placing the hat on her head after she did, and she wasn't sitting there for more than a moment, before the hat loudly called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" After it did, the yellow and black table clapped loudly, and Hannah Abbot hurried over to sit with them.

This was how the rest of the sorting continued, Professor McGonagall calling out the names of the first years alphabetically, and each person going up to get sorted. While this was happening, he was able to figure out which table belonged to each house, red and gold being Gryffindor, which cheered the loudest whenever they got someone, followed by Hufflepuff, which was yellow and black. Ravenclaw, which judging by its description seemed like the house he was most likely to get into, was blue and bronze, and Slytherin was green and silver.

Harry felt his anticipation build as they got closer and closer to the _P's, _and the whole hall seemed to be feeling the same way, as things seemed to get quieter and quieter the closer they got to his name.

Everyone seemed to hold their breath, as with a straightening of her spine, McGonagall called out in a clear, ringing voice, "Harry Potter!"

Everyone in the great hall seemed to be straining their heads towards where all the first years were gathered, and Harry made his way to the front amidst confused whispers as to where he could be, after a few seconds had passed with seemingly no movement from the group of remaining first years.

Harry walked over to the three legged stool, and carefully sat on top of it, a few people sitting at the front of the tables closest to him looking in his direction as he did because of the small noise the stool made.

Professor McGonagall seemed to be getting ready to call out his name again, so he spoke up before she could, causing her to take a step back in surprise.

Harry kept his face as straight as he could, though he was smiling on the inside at the look on her face.

"I'm here, so can I be sorted now?", he asked softly, and a sudden hush fell over the entire hall as they seemed to finally notice the small figure seated on the stool at the front of the room, patiently waiting to be sorted.

McGonagall blinked rapidly for a moment, before clearing her throat.

"Ha..Harry Potter?" She asked, her voice wavering, and Harry simply nodded yes.

The professor took a second to gather herself, before moving to place the hat on his head with hands that were shaking slightly.

"Right, of course...of course you can be sorted, please excuse me." She told him, before placing the hat gently on his head, and the last thing that Harry saw before the brim of the hat fell over his eyes, and almost to the bridge of his nose, was the shocked and surprised faces of nearly everyone in the great hall, before his vision was consumed by the soft black of the inside of the hat.

.

.

.

The Sorting Hat experienced something that it rarely ever did when it was placed upon the head of the latest student to be sorted.

The Sorting Hat was faced with a block, a wall, a barrier, whatever one chose to call it. Simply put, it wasn't able to reach the student's mind, some rather strong occlumency shields keeping it firmly out.

And what shields they were! The hat couldn't detect a single weak spot, and could only imagine what sort of mind lay beneath them.

_It is rather wise of you to have your mind shielded so, young student, but you need not fear any of your thoughts leaving the comfort of your mind. I am bound by a vow of secrecy to never reveal any of what is learned during my time upon your head. I am the sorting hat, and I simply need access into your mind for a bit, so that I can sort you into your house._ The Sorting Hat explained to the student.

All that answered its words however, was an echoing silence, and it was just about to ask the student again for access into their mind when the space it was in seemed to grow heavy with a sudden pressure, and a strange hissing started up.

And then the hat spotted a glint of red in the distance, almost as if eyes the color of red rubies were watching it intently. A sense of crushing darkness accompanied the flash of color, before everything suddenly let up, the feeling of the mind he was in changing completely, a now almost tangible sense of curiosity being felt, accompanied by the voice of a young boy.

_Hmm, that's quite a mind you have there. _A voice spoke directly inside his mind, and Harry started slightly before he recognized the voice as that of the sorting hat, from when it had sung the song about the houses earlier.

_Thank you, _he replied, and the hat moved around, as if settling itself more comfortably on his head, before speaking again.

_It's nothing to be thanked, it's just a fact. You have an interesting head on your shoulders...now, where to put you?_

_Well, I would think that the house that was best for me is where I should be placed._

_Yes, yes, though it's rare to find a person with only traits of one house, and none of another. You, for instance, seem rather suited to Slytherin or Ravenclaw._

_Well, I_ _don't have a preference, so it's really up to you, but I will say that_ _I don't think that I'm particularly cunning or ambitious_,_ though I do agree with doing whatever you can to achieve your goals._

_Really! Well, I'd have to disagree with you there, young wizard. It takes cunning and_ _a rather ambitious drive to accomplish all that you have up to this point, though that ambition is directed more towards learning as much as you can about everything, which leaves me inclined to name Ravenclaw as your house, as you're likely to find like-minded individuals there. Though even Hufflepuff seems a viable option, considering how hard working you've been towards accomplishing your goals._ _Or perhaps even Gryffindor, for the bravery you possessed to move forward, despite not knowing what may lay ahead._

_You do make some very good points, but that still doesn't answer the_ _question of what house you're going to put me in, Mr. Hat._

_True. Well then, taking_ _another look at your mind, I think that you better be..._

_"_RAVENCLAW!" the hat yelled out for everyone to hear.

The hall fell into a dead silence before soft applause started from the table in front of him and slightly to the left, gradually getting louder as the seconds passed by.

Harry tugged the hat off of his head and handed it over to the professor, who seemed frozen in place. He gently placed the hat in her slightly out stretched hands and hopped off the stool, making his way to the table that was still clapping for him, though the table as a whole seemed unsure about where to direct their gaze, seeing as, while they knew he was just on the stool, they now couldn't see him.

He quietly made his way over to where he had seen the other first years sit down, and claimed an empty seat next to one of his year mates amongst the confused muttering of what seemed to be the entire great hall.

There was a few moments more of this before McGonagall cleared her throat and called for quiet in the great hall, before reading out the next name on the scroll floating in front of her.

Sitting down at his house table, Harry was struck by two thoughts, one after the other.

The first thought was that Hogwarts had more students, and was noisier than he had thought it would be. It was like being at the zoo all over again, and he was as uncomfortable now as he was then, the magic of the castle which had so entranced him when he had first come inside doing little to help with how he felt, and he could only imagine how bad Blaise must be feeling.

It wasn't this bad when he had still attended school while he lived with the Dursleys. For one thing there were less students, and for another, if he ever felt uncomfortable he would be able to escape to a quiet corner in the library. Though considering the size of the castle, it was very likely that he would be able to do the same thing here, with even greater success.

Before the thing that had happened with Vernon, he didn't really care about people being close or even touching him, but afterwards...it wasn't that he was afraid, it was just that something inside of him instinctively shied away from skin on skin contact, though it was a little better when he was completely covered up, and even then, not by much if his reaction to Blaise holding his hand for a few seconds was any indication.

There was barely a hands width of space between him and his fellow first years on the long bench, and even though they couldn't see him, it was only a matter of time before one of them bumped into him, which brought him to his next thought.

It was obvious from how every eye in the great hall had focused on him during his sorting that his sudden disappearance wouldn't go unnoticed, especially not from Dumbledore.

He didn't think he could turn off his shadow power, not that he would want to, but the teachers, Dumbledore, and more than likely the other students would be asking questions about why they could see him one moment, and then he was gone the next.

Unfortunately for them, they would be disappointed by the lack of answers to their questions, because he wasn't obligated to tell them anything.

In fact, he decided right at that very moment, he would pretend that he had no idea about what they were talking about, and act like he didn't notice anything strange.

After all, they couldn't force him to admit the truth about something he seemingly had no knowledge about, could they? It was better if they underestimated him, and what he was capable of for as long as possible, because the less they knew and suspected, the better it was for him.

All the occupants of the great hall seemed to only be focused on him, and he idly listened to all the rumors and speculations that were starting up about what had just happened, and where has he been all these years, and only payed attention to the sorting again when he heard Blaise's name being called, and realized something else as he watched him get sorted into Slytherin. Now that the secret of his name was out, would Blaise react any differently towards him? Judging from their conversation in the library he honestly didn't think so, so that at least was one less thing he needed to worry about.

After the sorting was over Dumbledore stood up, and Harry felt a little smug when his eyes scanned the Ravenclaw table but he couldn't spot him, before he proceeded to talk about avoiding a forbidden forest, and a corridor on the third floor if they didn't to die, which Harry didn't understand. What was the point of having places in and near a school that could kill someone, and then warning people to stay away from it? Wouldn't it be smarter to just not have those places in the first place? And if you _were_ going to have them, not warn people to stay away from them? Because in his experience, people (Dudley) always seemed to want to do something more, the more you told them not to do it, but whatever. If Dumbledore wanted to get students killed, then that was all the more reason not to trust him.

Dumbledore then ended his speech by saying a few nonsense words, after which all the tables filled up with more food and drinks that he had ever seen.

He nibbled on a piece of bread, the smell of all the meat laid out on display turning his stomach, and by some miracle managed to not bump into anyone during the entire feast. After everyone was done eating, Dumbledore led a song that he didn't even pretend to join in on, and was led through the school, along with the rest of his house to his dorm, which was apparently in one of the schools towers.

After traveling up five flights of stairs, they finally walked up a spiral staircase, at the top of which was a large, round, dark blue door, that had no keyhole or doorknob, and which instead had a large bronze eagle head knocker attached to it.

"Okay, listen up first years. My name is Penelope Clearwater, and I'm one of the prefects for Ravenclaw house. Now, the only way to get into Ravenclaw tower is by giving the correct answer to a riddle asked by our door guardian, the eagle head knocker. Would any of you like to go first, and prove that you have a mind befitting of the name Ravenclaw?" Penelope asked, looking over the small group of first years at the front.

There was silence before one of the boys next to him walked forward, his head held high.

"Good, what's your name?"

"Michael Corner."

"Ok Michael, now all you have to do is walk up to the knocker, and ask it for a riddle, easy as that."

Michael, taking her words to heart, walked up to the door and asked for a riddle.

The eyes of the eagle blinked a few times, before it spoke in a smooth, low voice,

_What is it that's always coming but never arrives?_

Michael seemed to have come to his answer after a minute or two, because he looked back up at the knocker before stepping closer to it.

"Is the answer tomorrow?"

_Are you asking, or telling?_

"Telling."

_Then you are correct._

Once the answer to the riddle was spoken, the door opened up into a wide, circular room with a midnight blue carpet, large arched windows hung with blue and bronze silks, which flooded the room with moonlight, and a domed ceiling painted with stars.

Walking further in, Harry saw that placed randomly throughout the airy room were tables and comfortable looking chairs and sofas, large bronze globes, and antique looking bronze telescopes by the windows. Placed along the walls where they could fit were bookcases full of books, that stopped at an arched doorway, which had a white statue of a woman standing next to it, and what looked like two sets or stairs, each leading a different direction.

"This is our common room, for those of you who didn't know. This is a place where you can relax and study whenever you feel like it, and during the day we have an excellent view of the school grounds, including the lake, Forbidden Forest, Quidditch pitch, Herbology gardens and the surrounding mountains. Through that doorway is the dormitories, right staircase for girls, left for boys, and please don't try to go up the staircase that isn't meant for you, because I'm warning you now, you won't like what happens if you do." Penelope said once everyone was inside the common room. The older years were already heading to the doorway, not needing the explanation, and Harry looked around the common room as he waited until the stairs were clear, and he could head up to his dorm.

Standing here, it really hit him that things were moving forward, and that tomorrow, he would be sitting through his first magical class. Some of his excitement from earlier was coming back, though now it was tempered by how tired he was. Whisper was already knocked out, a warm weight in his arms, and he was ready to follow right behind him.

He didn't have to wait too long before he was able to go up, and he stepped off the landing that had a small sign that read first years attached to the wall. He walked up to the single door that was there, and walked through it, into a space that was like a mirror of the room he just left, only instead of the things in the common room, this room had five large beds, all evenly spaced apart, separated by midnight blue hangings, studded with stars, that stretched from the ceiling to the floor. Harry approached the bed closest to the door, and moved the hangings around. Doing this, he realized that he could close them completely, so that the bed, dresser, and wardrobe were all closed away in space that was as big as a small room.

He put Whisper gently down on his chosen bed, glad that he was the first one to get to their dorm, and walked over to where he had seen five trunks lined up against the wall, by a door that once he opened it, saw that it led to the bathroom, and picked up his truck, placing it at the foot of his bed.

That done, he took his bag off and put it on his dresser, changed into his sleep clothes, closed the hangings, and asked them to stay closed until he opened them, and not to allow anyone else to come inside. He left his other clothes on top of his trunk, and laid down on his bed. He always woke up early, so he would properly take care of the rest of his things in the morning, hopefully before anyone else was awake, so that he could avoid the barrage of questions that he knew would be waiting for him.

_Maybe I can make a game out of avoiding everyone's questions, and everyone in general? That would definitely give me a fun way to pass these two years,_ Harry thought as his eyelids slowly grew heavier, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

That night, settled down in his dorm in his bed, Whisper a spot of warmth curled next to him, Harry had a strange dream.

In the dream he was in a room that was completely dark and empty, save for the glow of a fireplace in front of him, and the soft couch he was sitting on, his side pressed against someone.

He looked to see who he was leaning on, and saw the shape of a person, seemingly made out of shadows. The shadow person turned its head to face him, and then he was faced with two scarlet red eyes.

They looked at each other for a moment, before Harry turned back around to face the fire.

The shadow person with their red eyes felt a little like his magic, but, no, that wasn't exactly right. It...didn't feel like his magic, it was different somehow, but still safe, and warm, and Harry was comfortable, the warmth of the fire at his front, and the shadow person at his side.

They stayed like that for the rest of the dream.


End file.
